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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24363769">One Day A Week</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NEIWIS/pseuds/NEIWIS'>NEIWIS</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians &amp; Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, Bisexual Reyna, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/F, Flashbacks, Friendship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nico and Reyna are best friends, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus), Romance, Underage Drinking</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:27:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>132,465</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24363769</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NEIWIS/pseuds/NEIWIS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After their adventure to deliver the Athena Parthenos, Nico and Reyna have done their best to spend one day a week with each other. Everyone thought it would be a good thing for the two, but no one could have expected what kind of problems the two would get into. From beating up Girl Scouts, "accidentally" maiming bullies during capture the flag, dealing with gods and goddesses, and to finding love, the two never have a dull week.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nico di Angelo &amp; Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>266</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Albania I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a collection of the adventures that Nico and Reyna get into. While it will focus on the two of them, it allows has appearances from the other characters.<br/>I hope you enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reyna had no clue how she was going to explain this. A glance to her side showed that Nico looked like he was in the same boat. Both of them continued to sit in silence and stare at the bars of the cell that they were trapped in. How had everything gone so wrong?</p>
<p>“So,” Nico began. He sighed tiredly and looked down at the handcuffs on his wrists. “How are we going to get out of this?”</p>
<p>“Trying to manipulate the Mist didn't work,” Reyna said. She rubbed her eyes and then stared at the ground. “I guess we can ask the police officer if we can make a phone call, but I only know two phone numbers.”</p>
<p>“Who do the numbers belong to?” Nico asked. He laid back on the small bed in the cell. Reyna slowly looked at the two empty cells on their left and right. The walls were gray and peeling. In fact, the entire building seemed to be old and falling apart. The cells were double the size of the bed, and the five cells took up half the room. Across from them, there was a desk with a computer on it. A payphone was near the desk.</p>
<p>“Annabeth and my sister,” Reyna said. It was rather ironic, considering her sister was the reason they were in the cell in the first place, and Annabeth would lecture them if she learned what they had done.</p>
<p>“Great,” Nico muttered. He grabbed the pillow and rested it over her face. Reyna glanced at the police officer.</p>
<p>“How did you kids get these weapons anyway?” the police officer asked. He was examining Reyna's sword and daggers. He wouldn't anywhere near Nico's sword.</p>
<p>“Can we make a phone call? To our parents,” Reyna said.</p>
<p>“You wouldn't give me their numbers earlier,” the police officer commented. He looked up at Reyna. “I couldn't find either of you in our system. Do you know how much paperwork that is?”</p>
<p>“Can I just make the call?” Reyna asked. The police officer looked at them and frowned. Disgust came to his face. “Please.”</p>
<p>“The paper work isn't even the worst part of my night,” the police officer said. He stood and walked towards the cell. “You two make me sick. I've seen some freaks in here, but what you two did crosses the line.”</p>
<p>Reyna bit her tongue and remained silent. She didn't want to get tasered. Again. The first time had been when the cop grabbed her shoulder before yelling that they were under arrest. Reyna had been spooked and flipped the police officer over her shoulder. The other one tasered her. Nico had been so busy trying not to laugh that he didn't resist getting arrested.</p>
<p>The police officer opened the cell and led Reyna towards the payphone. He placed quarters inside and stepped away. Reyna slowly typed in her sister's phone number and rested her head against the wall. She was gong to kill Hylla.</p>
<p>This was all her sister's fault. Why did they even agree to this? As Reyna waited for Hylla to answer, her anger grew and grew. After a solid thirty seconds of silence, Hylla finally answered and spoke, “I don't want your product. Stop calling me.”</p>
<p>“Hylla. It's me,” Reyna said quickly. She didn't hear the sound of a phone hanging up, just silence. Hylla finally sighed.</p>
<p>“Why are you calling me this late?” Hylla asked. It almost sounded like she had just woken up. Reyna wished that she could be in her bed, curled up with her two dogs. Instead, she was stuck dealing with the aftermath of Hylla's stupid request.</p>
<p>“Do you remember how there was a break in at one of the Amazon bases, and you wanted Nico and I to check it out,” Reyna asked. She heard Hylla groan out an affirmative. “We found nothing there.”</p>
<p>“So,” Hylla interrupted. Reyna sighed and looked down. “You woke me up at two in the morning to tell me that there was nothing, and you risked using a cell phone to do that. I am going to hang up now.”</p>
<p>“I need your help,” Reyna said. She took a deep breath. Hylla didn't answer. “Are you still there?”</p>
<p>“I'm just waiting to see what is so important that you woke me up in the middle of the night,” Hylla said. Reyna closed her eyes. This was the moment of truth.</p>
<p>“I'm kind of in jail,” Reyna answered. Her sister was silent for a long time. Reyna began to think that the line had gone dead, but then, Hylla started laughing. “It's not funny.”</p>
<p>“It is hilarious,” Hylla corrected. Reyna rolled her eyes. “So, what are you in for? Possession of a deadly weapon? No. Murder!”</p>
<p>“Assault and battery,” Reyna muttered. Hylla whistled like she was impressed. “Can you just bail us out?”</p>
<p>“After you tell me who you beat up,” Hylla said. Reyna opened her eyes and stared at the wall. She thought about it for a few moments.</p>
<p>“I would rather spend my time in jail,” Reyna decided.</p>
<p>“Is it really that bad?” Hylla asked. Reyna sighed. “If it is, I really need to know. Now.”</p>
<p>“Girl Scouts,” Reyna muttered. There was a strange sound on the other line, like someone was trying to keep from laughing. “Stop laughing. I'm in jail with Nico for assaulting Girl Scouts. If you tell anyone, I swear to Jupiter that I will kick your ass.”</p>
<p>“I am going to tell everyone,” Hylla said. Reyna clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. She was tired and not in the mood to be made fun of. “How is everyone at Camp Jupiter going to react when they heard that their praetor beat up little kids?”</p>
<p>Reyna slammed the phone back onto the receiver. She rested her head on the wall and debated just bashing her head into it. Nico spoke, “Did she laugh at you? If she did, all we have to do is tell her the reason why.”</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna snapped. She turned towards Nico. “We swore that we would never speak of Albania again.”</p>
<p>“Is Hylla coming?” Nico said awkwardly, even though he knew the answer. Reyna glared at him. Nico looked at the police officer. “Can we call someone else?”</p>
<p>“What happened in Albania?” the police officer asked. He placed more coins into the payphone. Reyna rested her head against the wall once again. Then, she dialed Annabeth's number. Thankfully, Annabeth answered after only a few rings.</p>
<p>“Hello?” Annabeth asked. She sounded like she had just woken up. Reyna sighed and rubbed her face.</p>
<p>“Annabeth, it's Reyna. I need your help,” Reyna said. She rested her head back against the wall.</p>
<p>“What's wrong?” Annabeth questioned. She sounded worried. Reyna didn't reply for a few moments. “Are you hurt? Is Camp Jupiter okay?”</p>
<p>“We're fine. I'm not at Camp Jupiter,” Reyna answered. “We need your help. Hylla sent Nico and I to one of her Amazon warehouse to investigate a break in. It was near a forest. After we investigated the warehouse, we went to the forest and stumbled into a camp of Girl Scouts.”</p>
<p>“Wait,” Annabeth interrupted. “Percy didn't put you up to this, did he? Or, was it Leo?”</p>
<p>“What?” Reyna asked. She glanced at Nico and raised an eyebrow. Nico just looked at her confused. “No. Will you just listen? We found these Girl Scouts and may have attacked them.”</p>
<p>“I didn't think you were one for pranks,” Annabeth said. Reyna suddenly slammed her fist into the wall. She knew it was loud enough for Annabeth to hear, but she didn't care. Her nerves were on edge from the events of that day. With Hylla laughing at her and Annabeth not believing her, she was at a breaking point.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” the police officer demanded. He grabbed the phone from Reyna and took it from her hand. “Back in the cell. Your friend can finish the call.”</p>
<p>In that moment, Reyna really considered disabling the guard and making a break for it. If it wasn't for the fact that there was cameras and the officer knew her information, she would have. Instead, she turned and marched towards the cell. Reyna laid back on the bed and examined her bloody knuckle.</p>
<p>A glance up showed that Nico was holding onto the phone. The police officer looked at Reyna and then closed the cell door. Reyna focused on Nico. He glanced back at Reyna and spoke, “I know it sounds like we're playing a prank, but it's serious Annabeth. We were just suspicious because of something that happened in Albania.”</p>
<p>“Don't you dare,” Reyna warned. She stood up and glared at Nico. The son of Hades looked back at her and frowned.</p>
<p>“If you can come and bail us out, we will explain everything,” Nico said. Reyna glared at Nico. He was so dead when he stepped back into the cell. Reyna was going to suffocate him with a pillow. “Can you tell Sally that we are sorry? Thank you.”</p>
<p>Nico hung up the phone and looked back at the police officer. He spoke, “Can I have another cell.”</p>
<p>“No,” the police officer answered. Nico looked down, and rather reluctantly, he started to walk back towards the cell.</p>
<p>“You're dead meat,” Reyna promised. Nico stopped walking and looked at her.</p>
<p>“Watch it,” the police officer warned. Reyna stared at the ceiling and glared. Nico slowly stepped back into the cell, but he stayed as far away from her as possible.</p>
<p>“I'm sorry,” Nico began. Reyna ignored him and rubbed her forehead. Sally Jackson was a nice enough woman, even though Reyna had only met her a few times. Sally was always kind and motherly. It was weird. She had become a second mother to the seven and had been trying to do the same for Nico and Reyna.</p>
<p>Reyna would have to pay Sally back whatever the bail cost, and she would get the money from her older sister. This was all Hylla's fault. They would also have to manipulate the Mist to make all of this go away. A sigh left Reyna.</p>
<p> “I am sorry,” Nico said. Reyna glanced at him and still didn't say a word. Albania was not something that she wanted to relive. It was the single most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to her. Reyna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She hoped that she could make it through the story without being laughed at, but she doubted it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Albania II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After getting out of jail, Reyna and Nico share the story of Albania.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Albania- Four Months Ago</strong>
</p><p>“Albania! This place is great!” Gleeson Hedge yelled. Reyna jumped and placed a hand to her sword. She slowly turned and looked at Hedge. After staring at the Faun for a moment, her gaze moved to the large statue that they were transporting. The Athena Parthenos towered over her. “Hey Roman!”</p><p>“Will you keep your voice down?” Reyna demanded. She slowly looked around the forest that they were in. Reyna moved to the middle of the clearing and pushed some twigs away. She didn't know if they should make a fire or not, as there was no telling what was in the forest.</p><p>A glance to her left showed that Nico was asleep. He had passed out as soon as they finished shadow traveling. Thankfully, Hedge had rushed forward to catch him and keep his head from cracking against any logs. Reyna whistled lowly, and her two dogs appeared from a bush.</p><p>“How about we do it like true survivors?” Hedge questioned. “We can catch a deer and eat it.”</p><p>“I thought Fauns wanted to protect nature,” Reyna said raising an eyebrow. She scratched Aurum under his chin.</p><p>“It's Satyr, and it's survival of the fittest kid,” Hedge explained with a huff. “If they are not fast enough to get away from me, I'm going to eat them. So, are you good with a bow?”</p><p>“I'm good with any weapon,” Reyna replied. She felt Nico's forehead and stood. After glancing around, she started to settle down. The forest wasn't quiet. It was filled with the sounds of animals and insects. It would be safe to make a fire. “I'm going to gather some wood for a fire.”</p><p>“Make it big enough to cook a deer,” Hedge ordered. He jumped as Argentum circled around him and sniffed him. “Kid, you should make sure your dog watches himself.”</p><p>“He's getting to know you,” Reyna said with a shrug. She had insisted that Hedge stop calling her kid, but he didn't seem to be getting message. Reyna glanced at her dogs. “Protect Nico.”</p><p>“Can I take one with me?” Hedge asked as the dogs sat by Nico. “They are hunting dogs, right?”</p><p>“No,” Reyna answered. Hedge was going to be the death of her. “You should go hunt the deer down. I will scout around and find some firewood.”</p><p>After Hedge nodded and scurried away, Reyna took a deep breath. She wasn't going to stray too far from the clearing, just in case there was monsters around. Reyna walked through a cluster of trees and looked around. She glanced up and frowned.</p><p>There was smoke rising from the trees. It wasn't far from her, but it was faint. It seemed like someone was making their own campfire. Reyna turned back towards the clearing, but she heard a branch snap. Reyna quickly turned and place a hand to her sword handle.</p><p>“I'm so glad you could make it,” a woman said as she stepped out from in between two trees. She had bright blue eyes and blonde hair. The woman didn't seem like a monster, and she wore the uniform of a Girl Scout. “We have been waiting hours for you.”</p><p>“What?” Reyna asked. The woman quickly shook her hand. Reyna just stared and blinked a few times, trying to understand what was going on.</p><p>“You're our guest speaker, of course. The girls are so excited to meet you,” the woman explained. Reyna frowned. Was this some kind of new tactic by monsters? How did the woman speak English? Why in Jupiter's name did Girl Scouts need a guest speaker?</p><p>“I think you have the wrong person,” Reyna began. She tried to pull away, but the woman had an iron grip. As Reyna tried to escape, she was pulled forward. There was singing in the distance. What was this place?</p><p>The woman led Reyna into a clearing. Reyna stared at the twenty girls that were scattered around a campfire and cooking marshmallows. They all wore the uniform of a Girl Scout.</p><p>“Our guest speaker is here!” the woman announced. All of the Girl Scouts looked up and shouted a greeting. None of them gave off the vibe of a monster, so they just had to be crazy. Who camped out in the middle of nowhere? “Will you introduce yourself?”</p><p>“I'm Reyna,” the praetor answered after a moment. She had no clue how to get out of her situation. It seemed best to play along until she thought of something. Could she just shove the woman in the fire and run?</p><p>Reyna took a moment to examine the uniforms that the Girl Scouts wore. The main color of the uniform was an ugly tan that she didn't recognize. One of them had a green sash covered in badges. The other girls seemed to look up to her.</p><p>“What advice do you have for building fires?” the woman questioned. “Oh, a demonstration would be lovely as well.”</p><p>“Here we go,” Reyna muttered. She knelt down and gathered a few sticks and dry leaves. Reyna glanced at the girls and resigned herself to her fate. “Everyone has a pocket knife, right? You want that and a piece of flint.”</p><p>“Why don't you just use a lighter or matches?” one of the Girl Scouts asked. Reyna looked up at the girl and tried to process the words. If a Roman asked Lupa that, they would spent the next hour running and the next hour after running through drills.</p><p>“Being able to build a fire is an essential survival skill,” Reyna said. “There will be a day when you lose your lighter or matches, and if you don't know how to maintain your fire, it will die. What are you going to do when all you have is a knife and flint?”</p><p>The Girl Scouts fell silent. Reyna silently started the fire. These Girl Scouts would never make it as legionaries. After building the fire, Reyna looked up and blinked a few times. What was she doing? She needed to get back to Nico and Hedge.</p><p>A branch snapped. Reyna turned and saw Hedge stumble into the clearing. The Faun took one look around and raised his club. Before Reyna could stop him, Hedge hit the woman over the head, and the woman crumpled. Oh, Reyna was really going to kill him.</p><p>The clearing fell dead silent. The Girl Scouts all turned towards Hedge. The Faun spoke, “I have a club for every one of you!”</p><p>“Hedge, no,” Reyna snapped. She stepped forward only for half of the Girl Scouts to turn towards her.</p><p>“You are working with him?” one demanded.</p><p>“This is a misunderstanding,” Reyna began. The Girl Scouts seemed unconvinced. They walked towards her. Reyna gritted her teeth and unsheathed her sword. “Back up!”</p><p>The Girl Scout with the sash full of badges lunged at her. Reyna instinctively swung her sword. The girl dodged at the last second and hissed in anger. Reyna studied her.</p><p>“Get her!” another Girl Scout yelled. Reyna swung her sword at another. It passed right through the girl. Before Reyna could react, three of the Girl Scouts tackled her.</p><p>Reyna heard Hedge yelling and the sound of struggle. She focused on the three Girl Scouts that were trying to hold her down. Reyna shoved them away from her and jumped to her feet.</p><p>“I don't want to fight you,” Reyna began. She grabbed one of their shoulders to push them away. The Girl Scout flipped Reyna over her shoulder. Before the praetor could stand, her hands were tied together.</p><p>“Hedge is just jumpy. We can talk this over,” Reyna began. She tried to struggle, but the Girl Scouts wouldn't let her move. One used a piece of rope to gag her. Five of them dragged her over to a tree.</p><p>Reyna struggled to get away from them. It was useless as one freakishly strong one slammed her into a tree and tied her to it. Reyna growled in anger. She did not get paid enough for this.</p><p>“I knew all of you Girl Scouts were evil!” Hedge yelled. He was completely tied up and rolling around on the ground. “Your cookies are just there to get us addicted. It's like a drug. You are miniature Amazons.”</p><p>Reyna slammed her head into the tree. She let out an angry breath and stared at the sky. This was completely embarrassing. How had Girl Scouts taken her out?</p><p>“Untie me!” Hedge ordered. “I will take you all out.”</p><p>“I told you that Albania would bring us delicious opportunities,” one of the Girl Scouts said. She looked directly at Reyna and licked her lips. Reyna's eyes widened, and she struggled with the ropes.</p><p>Reyna's eyes shot around, and she saw Nico staring at them. Nico was hiding in the shadows and looked like he was waiting for an opportunity. Reyna gave him a warning look. She looked at the Girl Scouts. There was eighteen of them. Wait.</p><p>Nico yelled as the other two Girl Scouts threw them into the clearing. He scrambled backwards towards the fire. One of the Girl Scouts spoke, “Hello mister. Would you like to buy some cookies?'</p><p>“You two need to let my companions go,” Nico snapped. He stood and gripped his sword.</p><p>“Get him,” the Girl Scout with the badges ordered. Nico had no time to react as he was jumped by five Girl Scouts. Reyna vaguely wondered if she had looked that pathetic.</p><p>The Girl Scouts carried Nico towards the tree next to her. The son of Hades was promptly tied up. His legs and arms were secured to the tree. Reyna only had rope tied around her chest, but it kept her from being able to move her arms.</p><p>“What's going on here?” Nico demanded. He looked tired and confused. His face was pale.</p><p>“These little girls tried to take Reyna out,” Hedge explained. Reyna glared at him and tried struggling in her restraints. She wanted to speak, but the gag wouldn't let her.</p><p>“You attacked our scout master!” one of the Girl Scouts yelled.</p><p>“I'll take you all out as well,” Hedge snapped. He kept rolling around on the ground.</p><p>“Really?” one questioned. “We took you three down easily”</p><p>“I will take you on little girl,” Hedge promised. Reyna closed her eyes tightly. Could everyone just shut up?</p><p>“Can we all just calm down?” Nico asked. “How do you know English?”</p><p>“We're American you idiot,” one of the Girl Scouts answered.</p><p>“Then, you understand the all American butt kicking that I am about to lay down on you!” Hedge yelled. Reyna glared at the sky. She vaguely wondered how many times she could bash her head into the tree before she passed out.</p><p>“Girls,” the Girl Scout with the sash began. “You should go find their camp. We will watch them.”</p><p>“We will, Marcy,” one of the smallest Girl Scouts promised. Marcy and three other Girl Scouts stayed, and the rest walked away. Marcy looked at Reyna and smiled. The daughter of Bellona glared angrily.</p><p>“Romans are so chewy with all of their muscles,” Marcy commented. She walked towards Reyna and grabbed her chin. “We might let you soften a little.”</p><p>Reyna wanted to curse her luck. Today was not going well at all. They were already behind schedule, and they had managed to find cannibalistic Girl Scouts. Why were monsters with Girl Scouts though?</p><p>“You're cannibals?” Hedge demanded.</p><p>“Laistrygonians,” Marcy replied. She grabbed Reyna's sword and flipped it in a javelin. The point was pressed against Reyna's neck. Reyna stared down at the little monster and glared.</p><p>“You don't look like them,” Nico commented. He glanced at Reyna and gave her a look that told him to stay calm. Reyna blinked once to show that she was relaxed. If Hedge could keep his stupid mouth shut, she would be fine.</p><p>“I'll still kick your butts!” Hedge called. Reyna shot him a sharp look. She really didn't feel like getting her throat slit because a Faun couldn't keep his mouth shut.</p><p>“The mist is heavy in this area,” one snapped. She bared her yellow teeth. “Our master sent us to strip your bones of flesh.”</p><p>“I like my flesh on the bone,” Nico muttered. He looked at Reyna. His face said that he didn't have the strength to raise the dead.</p><p>Reyna grimaced. She could share her strength with Nico, but she didn't know if he would understand what was happening. The only one who could do anything was Hedge. They were so screwed.</p><p>“If you want my flesh and blood, you are going to have to fight me for it!” Hedge yelled.</p><p>“Shut up!” Marcy snapped. She lowered the javelin and turned towards Hedge. Reyna kicked out at Marcy's elbow. Marcy's arm flew up causing the javelin to hit one of the Girl Scout's in the chest. The Girl Scout disintegrated into monster dust.</p><p>“You idiot Roman!” Marcy snapped. She adjusted her grip on the javelin and turned towards Reyna. The praetor made a small noise of pain as she was stabbed in the hip. “If you do anything like that again, your friend of death will be next.”</p><p>“Leave her alone,” Nico snapped. Marcy tore the javelin out of Reyna's hip. She threw it at Nico. It hit his shoulder. The son of Hades cried out and gritted his teeth.</p><p>“You are going to fight them when they are tied up? Untie me, and I will take you out!” Hedge yelled.</p><p>“You keep saying that but nothing happens. I'm not scared,” Marcy promised. She walked towards Nico and pulled the javelin out of his shoulder. “You don't have a lot of meat on your bones.”</p><p>“Which should we eat first?” one of the Laistrygonians questioned. Or, was it a Girl Scout? Reyna shook her head and tried to focus. She shifted to get the pressure off of her injured hip.</p><p>“The Faun has the most meat,” Marcy began. “He would be all furry though. It will take time to pluck all the hair away. The Roman has plenty of muscle. She will make a nice appetizer. The son of Hades is our dessert.”</p><p>Reyna glared. Why did she have to be the appetizer? She really needed to think of a plan. Hedge was the one who spoke, “You are not touching these kids!”</p><p>“Shut up Faun,” Marcy snapped.</p><p>“I am a Satyr!” Hedge yelled. He actually managed to sit up.</p><p>“You're a washed up protector. This is nothing you can do to stop us,” Marcy taunted. She placed the tip of the javelin to Reyna's neck. “Goodbye Roman.”</p><p>“Leave her alone!” Hedge yelled. He somehow managed to get to his feet and slam into Marcy. The other two Girl Scouts rushed towards Hedge.</p><p>Nico glanced at Reyna and whistled. The Girl Scouts looked up for a moment before dragging Hedge towards the fire. A growl cut through the air.</p><p>Aurum jumped into the clearing. He immediately went after one of the Girl Scouts and slammed into her. Reyna jumped as she felt something cold on her hands. It only took a few moments for Argentum to chew through the ropes.</p><p>Reyna scooped up her javelin. She stabbed the other Girl Scout in the back and pulled the javelin out. The daughter of Bellona turned and threw her javelin at Nico. It tore through the rope that held Nico.</p><p>Marcy backed up realizing she was outnumbered. The other Girl Scout had been taken out by Reyna's dogs. Aurum and Argentum circled around Marcy and did not let her run. Nico untied Hedge.</p><p>“You're dead meat Girl Scout,” Hedge promised. He grabbed Reyna's javelin from the tree. “No one hurts these kids.”</p><p>Marcy tried to run, but Hedge threw the javelin directly into her back. Reyna grabbed Unicorn powder and took care of Nico's shoulder. After bandaging it, she collapsed against the tree and sat down. Her hand rested on her hip.</p><p>“It can't get worse than this,” Reyna muttered. She could feel her face was red. This entire day was one of the actual worst that she had ever experienced.</p><p>“I can't believe you let a Girl Scout take you out,” Hedge said. Reyna glared at Hedge. The Faun quickly checked over Nico's shoulder before helping Reyna with her hip.</p><p>“You're the one who first attacked them,” Reyna finally snapped. Her two dogs moved to her side and sat by her. They seemed to stare at Hedge.</p><p>“Are they going to eat me?” Hedge slowly asked.</p><p>“Let's just get back to the camp,” Reyna muttered. She glanced up hearing footsteps. It was hard to keep from groaning as the mortal Girl Scouts walked back into the clearing. Their scout master groaned and started to sit up. It was just perfect timing.</p><p>“Are you all ready for the play?” one of the Girl Scouts asked. Reyna turned her head and stared at Nico. She knew the Mist would trick the mortals and make them forget that they had four additional members to their troops and the fact that the Girl Scouts had jumped them.</p><p>“Of course we are,” Hedge said. He pulled Reyna and Nico to their feet. Then, the Faun wrapped his arms around them. “What kind of play is it again?”</p><p>“I can't believe I fainted,” the woman, the scout master, whispered. She slowly made it to her feet. “Oh, did we get glitter?”</p><p>“Hedge, we need to go,” Reyna whispered angrily.</p><p>“Let's just go along with this,” Hedge whispered back. She stared at him. “We're going to need to eat and rest anyway. We may as well just stay close to the mortals and relax.”</p><p>“I am not putting on a play,” Reyna snapped. Nico nodded his agreement. Hedge tightened his grip on them.</p><p>“So, Reyna here will be the lovely princess, and Nico will be the handsome prince. They will teach you about survival,” Hedge said. Reyna closed her eyes and felt how red her face was. She was going to kill Hedge. The only question was if it would be before or after they delivered the statue.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>New York- Present Day</strong>
</p><p>“Wait,” Annabeth interrupted. She was red from laughing. “You two had to put on a play. Seriously?”</p><p>“Shut up,” Reyna grumbled. She looked away. Her face was so red that she looked like a tomato.</p><p>“This was totally worth getting up at three in the morning for,” Percy commented. He had an arm around Annabeth. The two looked like a happy couple. They wouldn't be too hard to kill when they were that close together.</p><p>Reyna gripped the cup of hot chocolate she had been given. She could tell it was about to break. The praetor placed the cup down and then stalked outside.</p><p>Reyna leaned on a wall as she stared up at the sky. She hated having to talk about Albania. It wasn't bad enough that people laughed at her for being taken out by Girl Scouts. They always lost it with laughing when they heard about the play. As Reyna heard footsteps, she spoke, “I'm not in the mood, Nico.”</p><p>“It's not Nico,” Sally said. Reyna slowly looked back at the mortal. “Albania sounded bad.”</p><p>“I don't want to talk about it anymore,” Reyna grumbled. She crossed her arms.</p><p>“You don't have to,” Sally promised. She held the cup of hot chocolate out for Reyna. After a moment, the praetor took it. “I can give you plenty of embarrassing stories about Percy and Annabeth.”</p><p>“Really?” Reyna questioned. She took a few sips and tried to calm down.</p><p>“Of course,” Sally answered. She winked. “Don't tell them where you got it from though.”</p><p>Reyna smirked. She took another sip of the hot chocolate. Nico stepped outside and stood by her side.</p><p>“Sorry,” Nico began. “I did promise to tell them though, and they still want to know about the play.”</p><p>“You're lucky that you are like a brother to me,” Reyna said after a few moments. She saw Nico's eyes widen, but she didn't look at him. Her gaze focused on the sky. “If you ever tell anyone about Albania again, I will kill you.”</p><p>“I won't,” Nico promised. “Thanks for not killing me for breaking the promise.”</p><p>“I'm still considering it,” Reyna said. “Miss Jackson, do you mind if we sleep at your house?”</p><p>“That's fine,” Sally replied. She smiled at them. “Any friends of Percy and Annabeth are always welcome here.”</p><p>“How do you want to share the couch?” Nico asked.</p><p>“Share?” Reyna questioned. She looked at Nico. “You're the one who brought up the story of Albania. You get the ground.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Capture the Flag</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nico just wanted to win against Annabeth in capture the flag. Instead, his night gets derailed</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Who. Did This?” Nico questioned through gritted teeth. One of his hands gripped his sword handle, and the other gripped Will's hand. His boyfriend shot him a look. Will pressed an ice pack to his left eye. There was already bad bruising around the eye, and it caused anger to tear through Nico.</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Will promised. “Ryan just wanted to gain a reputation with his siblings.”</p>
<p>Nico remained silent He adjusted the ice on his boyfriend's eye. Nico did not want to deal with this when he was already stressed out, mostly because Will wouldn't just let Nico killed Ryan. The son of Hades finally spoke, “You can't just let him get away with this.”</p>
<p>“You need to calm down,” Will said. He griped Nico's forearm. “Do you remember what Annabeth told you to do?”</p>
<p>“Forgive and forget,” Nico muttered. He crossed his arms angrily. “I prefer to remember and resent.”</p>
<p>“Don't,” Will warned. He dropped the ice and stood. The son of Apollo ruffled Nico's hair. “Let's focus on the positives. Are you ready for capture the flag?”</p>
<p>“I thought you said that we were focusing on the positives,” Nico muttered. He sighed and looked down. “I don't know what to do. Annabeth is a genius, and she has vowed to destroy me and my plan tonight.”</p>
<p>“You probably shouldn't have bragged about beating her tonight,” Will commented. There was a smile on his face.</p>
<p>“I thought Reyna was going to be here,” Nico protested. “How was I suppose to know that her sister would get hospitalized, and Reyna would have to rush to her aid?”</p>
<p>“The one time you get cocky,” Will said. He smirked. “We are so screwed for tonight. It's your fault. You know that, right?”</p>
<p>“I know,” Nico agreed. He stood and looked around the Apollo cabin. Since cabin inspections would be the next day, the cabin was completely spotless. Nico still needed to clean his cabin, but there would be time for that. Nico sighed and kissed Will. Then, he turned and left the cabin.</p>
<p>As Nico stepped outside, he looked around. Campers were rushing around as they prepared for capture the flag. It really should have been called everyone decides to team up on Nico day. The opposing team consisted of the Athena, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Ares, and Zeus cabin. Oh, and any other cabin that was skilled in combat.</p>
<p>Nico's secret weapon had been Reyna. When Reyna told her best friend that she would most likely not be there, that was when the son of Hades knew he was screwed. Everything depended the daughter of Bellona.</p>
<p>“Nico!” Annabeth called. Nico turned to look at the daughter of Athena. She was grinning. “Ready for tonight?”</p>
<p>“I'm ready to beat you,” Nico answered. Everyone knew that it would be the easiest game of capture the flag ever. Nico's only plan was to make everyone at least try when they did beat him.</p>
<p>“It's going to be interesting tonight,” Annabeth commented. That was her way of saying I am going to sit in a lawn chair and drink a cup of tea while my team decimates you. The daughter of Athena fixed her ponytail. Her cap of invisibility was in her pocket.</p>
<p>“Very interesting,” Nico agreed. Could he just pretend to play but hide as soon as he had the chance? “So, why did everyone decide to team up on me?”</p>
<p>“We thought Reyna would be here,” Annabeth answered. “Jason told us how she decimated in the war games before she became a praetor. I couldn't take the chance.”</p>
<p>“You all just wanted to team up on me,” Nico muttered. Annabeth nodded her agreement “How did you convince Clarisse to join you?”</p>
<p>“We traded shower times,” Annabeth replied. “You would be surprised by how that changes minds.”</p>
<p>Nico bit his tongue. That had been his grand plan, but somehow, Annabeth's cabin got all the good shower times for that week. Nico spoke, “Well, good luck tonight.”</p>
<p>“You're the one who needs it,” Annabeth said. Nico glared, but he had to agree with her. There was no way he could show it though. Nico had to act confident.</p>
<p>“I'll see you later,” Nico said after a moment. Annabeth's smile widened.</p>
<p>“I'll see you when I have your flag,” Annabeth stated. She walked away. Nico crossed his arms and tried to think. There was something he could do to win the game of capture the flag, but he wasn't sure what it was yet.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Nico didn't have many activities, so he spent the day cleaning his cabin. The tornado known as Will had spent a few hours with him and managed to completely destroy the cabin. The son of Apollo had an ungodly ability to make anything messy.</p>
<p>As dinner drew near, Nico found himself walking towards the dinner pavilion. Since Nico didn't have any siblings, he always sat by himself. Sometimes, Hedge would join him. Other times, Will would. It really just depended on the day and how much Chiron wanted to let them get away with.</p>
<p>Nico's mind went into autopilot as he stood in line to scrape a portion of his food into the fire. What was he going to do for capture the flag? Annabeth was overconfident. He was going to have to use that against her. Nico just wasn't sure how, or if he really could.</p>
<p>Outsmarting Annabeth didn't seem like it would work. Nico could try to trick her. His other options involved brute force. He could also just make a beeline for wherever the flag was and hope for the best.</p>
<p>Nico frowned as he sat back down at his table. His mind was so focused on strategy that he barely paid attention to what was happening around him. Someone sat in front of him, and Nico slowly looked up. A smile came to his face.</p>
<p>“Reyna,” Nico greeted. His best friend put a finger to her lips. She was wearing a jacket that was soaked from the rain outside. Her hood was up which cast a shadow over her face. “I thought you couldn't make it.”</p>
<p>“I wasn't going to,” Reyna began. She stole an apple off of Nico's plate and examined it. The praetor took a bite and didn't elaborate. Her gaze stayed focused on the ground.</p>
<p>“You and Hylla had an argument,” Nico guessed.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Reyna muttered. “Are we still on for capture the flag?”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Nico replied. “Honestly, I didn't know what to do without you.”</p>
<p>“My main job is to pull your ass out of the fire,” Reyna joked. She sounded distracted. The daughter of Bellona pushed her hood down. “Do you need help making a plan?”</p>
<p>“What happened with you and Hylla?” Nico asked after a moment. Reyna's eyes narrowed.</p>
<p>“Don't,” Reyna said. She placed her apple on the table and pulled out a dagger. For a few moments, Nico thought she was going to gut him. “Who gave Will the black eye?”</p>
<p>“A son of Ares named Ryan,” Nico answered. “He's new and wanted to prove himself. That was Will's explanation.”</p>
<p>“What's yours?” Reyna questioned. She ate a slice of the apple and kept her gaze on the table.</p>
<p>“Ryan is an idiot. I would go after him, but everyone tells me that I need to not hold grudges. I would also be the first suspect,” Nico replied. It felt good to talk about it. He still wanted to punch Ryan's face in though.</p>
<p>Nico looked up and caught Annabeth's eyes. The daughter of Athena seemed to notice Reyna. Something that looked like a curse left her mouth. Nico smirked.</p>
<p>“It's a good thing we have capture the flag,” Reyna commented. She stabbed her dagger into the apple. “Destroying people is a great way to let out anger.”</p>
<p>“What is your plan?” Nico asked. Reyna leaned in close. She seemed to study Annabeth for a moment. Then, Reyna looked back at Nico.</p>
<p>“Two defenders can guard the flag. We'll have two Apollo kids to do that. The rest of the Apollo kids will be in the trees guarding popular paths. I say we have a few kids guard the boundary line near the creek. We will be unseen,” Reyna explained.</p>
<p>“How?” Nico wondered. Reyna smirked. She whispered a plan to him. Nico wanted to point out that Annabeth was watching them. The daughter of Athena was probably reading their lips.</p>
<p>As Reyna finished speaking, she scooped up her pieces of apple and stood. The daughter of Bellona walked towards Chiron and sat by him. They seemed to talk about something serious. Nico watched before finishing his food.</p>
<p>Reyna glanced back at Nico. She caught his eyes and nodded. Nico returned the nod. They were going to decimate in capture the flag. He guaranteed it.</p>
<hr/>
<p>And just like that, Nico was screwed. He had drifted away from Reyna for one minute. Now, Nico was surrounded by Annabeth and Piper.</p>
<p>“Can Piper use charmspeak?” Nico wondered. His question caused the two girls to hesitate. Nico turned to run. He ran right into Percy as the son of Poseidon stepped out of the trees.</p>
<p>“Where's Reyna?” Percy asked. He uncapped his pen. A sigh escaped Nico. It really was everyone team up on Nico day.</p>
<p>“I lost her,” Nico admitted. The three other demigods studied him for a long moment. They all exchanged glances with each other.</p>
<p>“You lost her?” Annabeth questioned. She crossed her arms.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Nico confirmed. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “We were trying to find your flag,and when I looked away, she disappeared. I have no clue where she is.”</p>
<p>“How guarded is our flag?” Percy asked. He looked at Annabeth.</p>
<p>“It's guarded enough. Where is your flag Nico?” Annabeth demanded. She held her sword out to Nico, but it wasn't close enough to Nico's neck to be too threatening.</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Nico admitted. This was starting to get awkward.</p>
<p>“How do you not know where your own flag is?” Piper questioned.</p>
<p>“Reyna decided to hide it,” Nico answered. A grin came to Percy's face, and Annabeth frowned.</p>
<p>“I should have knew that you wouldn't follow the plan that Reyna told you,” Annabeth muttered. She looked like her mind was racing. Since Nico had three weapons pointed at him, all he could do was stare awkwardly.</p>
<p>“Um, are you guys going to take me prisoner now?” Nico asked. Annabeth looked at Percy and nodded. Nico sighed and handed them his sword. He held his hands up. “Lead me away.”</p>
<p>Annabeth smirked. She wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulders and led him away. The daughter of Athena spoke, “This was probably the easiest game of capture the flag I have ever played.”</p>
<p>“Can we not rub it in?” Nico groaned. The smirk on Annabeth's face grew, and the four demigods walked towards the border. As they walked, Percy and Piper talked about some television show that they had been watching. Nico just tried to figure out where everything had gone wrong.</p>
<p>The plan was probably great. Reyna wouldn't actually tell it to him. She just said that they needed to stick together, but here they were, not sticking together. The plan that Reyna had whispered had been a trick, to get Annabeth away from where they were going to go. How did it go so wrong?</p>
<p>They heard running and all turned. Travis Stoll stepped out of the tree and started waving. He spoke, “Guys! The game is over. Chiron ended it.”</p>
<p>“Can he just end it?” Piper asked. Percy nodded. “How? Has it happened before?”</p>
<p>“Once,” Annabeth answered. She sounded disappointed that her grand victor over Nico wouldn't happen, but there was always next week. “A son of Demeter broke up with a daughter of Aphrodite. The Aphrodite cabin broke nearly every bone in his body, but Travis, what happened? Is everyone okay?”</p>
<p>“Someone did a number on Ryan. They found him bleeding pretty badly. No one knows what happened,” Travis said, but his gaze focused on Nico. The five of them started to walk, and Nico was even given his sword back.</p>
<p>“Nico, what were you doing when you split up from Reyna?” Piper asked.</p>
<p>“I've been with Reyna until two minutes ago. Then, you guys found me,” Nico said. They made it towards the border and saw that two children of Apollo were carrying Ryan on a stretcher. Ryan did not look like he was in a good shape. His siblings followed behind and were glaring at everyone as if it would help them find the culprit</p>
<p>As one of the children of Ares, Sherman, spotted Nico, he yelled, “Nico probably did it.”</p>
<p>“I've been with Reyna the entire time. We were skirting around the forest,” Nico explained. “We got split up, and Annabeth found me.”</p>
<p>“We were taking him prisoner when we heard about Ryan,” Annabeth added. Nico frowned. Did she really have to bring that up?</p>
<p>Nico glanced around looking for Reyna. He found his best friend standing near Chiron. Her hands were in the pockets of her jacket, and she looked relaxed. Reyna leaned in towards Chiron and whispered something.</p>
<p>“We will conduct an investigation,” Chiron said to the waiting crowd.</p>
<p>“There is no need for an investigation,” a child of Ares, Harley, called. “Nico or Will did it because of what Ryan did.”</p>
<p>“Nico has already explained his innocence,” Will interrupted. “I was guarding the flag with one of my siblings.”</p>
<p>“It's not going to do any good to accuse each other,” Clarisse said. She looked around at her cabin. “Let's just go back to our cabins, so Chiron can investigate.”</p>
<p>“That doesn't sound like her,” Annabeth whispered. Nico nodded his agreement, and he studied Clarisse. A small frown came to his face.</p>
<p>“Maybe, she understands that Ryan deserved it,” Nico said. His gaze moved towards Annabeth. The rest of the campers were slowly dispersing. “Next week, you're going down Chase.”</p>
<p>Nico walked away before Annabeth could reply. He picked up the habit of calling people by their last name from Reyna. The son of Hades walked towards his best friend.</p>
<p>“Fun game,” Reyna commented. She leaned on a tree and slowly looked around. There was a small frown on her face.</p>
<p>“Where do you go?” Nico questioned. He turned on her and crossed his arms. Nico really didn't like that he had been used as Reyna's twisted version of bait, without being told. He was fine doing it, but he wanted to be clued in.</p>
<p>“I was trying to find the flag,” Reyna replied, but her eyes didn't meet Nico's. A frown came to Nico's face, and Reyna turned away. She started to walk. “Come on.”</p>
<p>The two of them walked further along the river, away from everyone else. Reyna was staring ahead, but there was a content look on her face. Nico glanced back and saw that no one was watching them. He turned and grabbed Reyna's hand, pulling it out of her jacket pocket.</p>
<p>“Can I help you?” Reyna questioned. Her hand was completely free of blood. Reyna slipped her other hand out of her pocket. She gave Nico a look.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Nico began. He winced. Reyna placed her hands back into her pockets, and a small smirk came to her face.</p>
<p>“It's fine,” Reyna promised. “If I did maim Ryan, I would have washed my hands in the creek to make sure there was no blood before moving to Chiron's side.”</p>
<p>“Did you?” Nico demanded. Reyna didn't answer. All she did was shrug and grin. “You did!”</p>
<p>“A praetor of Camp Jupiter would never do that,” Reyna promised. She led Nico to his cabin. “Are we having a movie night tonight? “</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Nico replied. They had been gathering in Percy's cabin to watch movies. Chiron usually let them watch one or two before he would tell them that curfew was getting near.</p>
<p>Reyna nodded and looked around. She looked back at Nico and leaned in close. The daughter of Bellona spoke, “Of course, I am just a camper here.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Dalmatians</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>While trying to get ice cream, Nico and Reyna help Hedge with his dog problem.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Want to share an ice cream?” Reyna questioned. Nico stared at the ground for a few moments. Upon realizing that Reyna was talking to him, he looked up at her. Nico shook his head and tried to focus. He slowly looked around.</p>
<p>At the moment, the two were standing outside of an ice cream cafe. Nico had heard that it was one of the best in town. That was why he wanted to check it out with Reyna. His best friend nudged him.</p>
<p>“You seem distracted,” Reyna commented. The concern was clear in her eyes.</p>
<p>“Your armor is so shiny,” Nico joked. A frown came to Nico's face, and Reyna sighed tiredly. “I haven't been sleeping well.”</p>
<p>“Do you want to talk about it?” Reyna asked as she zipped up her jacket. Nico glanced up at her. That was the thing he appreciated about his friend. Reyna never pushed when it came to personal feelings.</p>
<p>“Not right now,” Nico answered. Reyna nodded as she ran a hand through her wet hair. It had been raining hard that day. The rain had stopped only a few minutes ago. “What do you want to share?”</p>
<p>“The cookie dough looks good,” Reyna said. Her eyes focused on the menus.</p>
<p>“Cookie dough is the best,” Nico agreed. He glanced around them. There was hardly anyone outside. They were scattered by the storm when it had hit. “I can pay for it.”</p>
<p>“It's on me,” Reyna said. She reached into her pockets. After pulling out various pocket knives, Reyna managed to find her wallet.</p>
<p>“How many pocket knives do you have?” Nico questioned.</p>
<p>“Want one,” Reyna asked. Nico hesitated before nodding. Reyna smirked. “Do you want a silver, imperial gold, or a normal one?”</p>
<p>“Surprise me,” Nico answered. He ducked as Reyna tossed three of them at him. She laughed and ordered their ice cream. Nico scooped up the pocket knives. He watched Reyna pay.</p>
<p>“Are we still babysitting for Hedge?” Reyna asked as she looked at Nico. The son of Hades nodded. He put the pocket knives in his pocket.</p>
<p>“Of course,” Nico said. He jumped as an Iris message appeared in front of him. The only thing that Nico could see was Hedge's terrified face.</p>
<p>“I need your help,” Hedge gasped. He was out of breath and looked exhausted. The Satyr flinched as there was barking.</p>
<p>“What's going on?” Reyna questioned moving to Nico's side.</p>
<p>“I was getting diapers for Chuck,” Hedge began. He flinched as there was another bark. “Everything was fine until I left the store. Some crazy lady yelled at me. Then, some Dalmatians started to chase me after I left the store.”</p>
<p>“Dalmatians?” Nico questioned. Hedge nodded.</p>
<p>“Dalmatians,” Reyna repeated. She crossed her arms. Nico exchanged a look with Reyna.</p>
<p>“They chased me onto a fence. I'm stuck,” Hedge admitted. “The Dalmatians won't leave me alone either. There is also a poodle here.”</p>
<p>“How are you sending the Iris message?” Reyna asked. She rubbed her temples.</p>
<p>“Garden hose. Can we focus on saving me?” Hedge pleaded. His face was as white as a sheet. Reyna glanced back at the ice cream shop and cursed. She looked back at Hedge.</p>
<p>“You owe me an ice cream,” Reyna said. She crossed her arms. “Where are you?”</p>
<p>Hedge looked around and read off a street name. Reyna ran a hand through the Iris message. She grabbed Nico and led him away. Nico spoke, “Are you going to kill Hedge?”</p>
<p>“Probably,” Reyna muttered. She gripped her sword. “Do you know where the street is?”</p>
<p>“It's not far from here,” Nico promised. “How do you want to deal with the dogs?”</p>
<p>“If Hedge is stuck on a fence, there are probably dogs on both sides. We just move all of the dogs to one side of the fence,” Reyna explained.</p>
<p>“We have a plan,” Nico said. He looked around the street. People were slowly starting to fill up the streets. “We can't let Hedge live this down.”</p>
<p>“He's not going to,” Reyna guaranteed. She looked back at the ice cream shop, and a frown came to her face. They continued to walk in silence.</p>
<p>“You like chocolate that much?” Nico asked after a minute.</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna admitted. She looked at him. “Hylla never let me have that many sweets as a kid. She always used the excuse that we couldn't afford it. The real reason was because I got really bad sugar highs.”</p>
<p>“Do you still get them?” Nico questioned. He tried not to sound too excited. Reyna shrugged. Nico smirked. That bit of information would be tucked away for later. Reyna was always stoic and serious that it would be hilarious to see.</p>
<p>As Nico passed the street that Hedge was on, he stopped walking. Then, he nudged Reyna and pointed towards Hedge. Reyna looked at the Satyr and sighed. Hedge was stuck on a high fence and surrounded by dogs.</p>
<p>“Having fun?” Reyna questioned as she examined the situation. Nico tilted his head and studied it as well. He suppressed his laughter.</p>
<p>Hedge was sitting on top of an eight foot fence. There was four dogs on one side of the fence. They were all Dalmatians. The other side had three dogs. One was a poodle. The two others were German Shepherds.</p>
<p>“They're cute,” Reyna commented. She walked towards the dogs and whistled softly. The two German Shepherds turned towards her.</p>
<p>“They are killers,” Hedge warned. Reyna knelt next to the two German Shepherds and started to pet them. The dogs licked her face.</p>
<p>“I think that they are perfectly harmless animals,” Reyna argued. She pulled a squeaky toy out of her pocket and squeezed it. The squeak from the toy caught the attention of every animal in the area. Reyna stood and threw the toy as far as she could. The German Shepherds and the poodle chased after the toy.</p>
<p>Nico scooped up the poodle as it turned to run. He carried it towards the fence. Hedge was shaking horribly. The Satyr spoke, “Don't bring that near me!”</p>
<p>“Calm down,” Nico ordered. He climbed the fence and sat on top of it. He gently dropped the poodle to the opposite side. “Are you ready to drop down?”</p>
<p>“I think,” Hedge said. He slowly moved to the side of the fence where Reyna was waiting. Nico jumped down from the fence. He waited for Hedge.</p>
<p>“Where did you get the toy?” Nico asked.</p>
<p>“Aurum's favorite,” Reyna responded. She glared at Hedge. “They also like to chew on Satyrs that interrupt us when we are going to have ice cream.”</p>
<p>“I owe you two,” Hedge promised. He slowly jumped down from the fence. He turned towards the other side of the fence. “Take that you stupid Dalmatians!”</p>
<p>“Why are you scared of them?” Reyna questioned.</p>
<p>“That doesn't matter. I need to go get my bag from where I left it,” Hedge replied. He jumped as the German Shepherds walked to Reyna's side.</p>
<p>Reyna knelt in front of the dogs. She gently took the toy from one of them and spoke, “I wish I could take you two back with me. We should get you guys back home.”</p>
<p>“Why were they chasing you in the first place?” Nico asked Hedge.</p>
<p>“After I left the store, one of the Dalmatians jumped its leash. It started to chase after me. The other animals joined after that,” Hedge explained.</p>
<p>“The Dalmatian just suddenly went after you for no reason?” Reyna questioned.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Hedge confirmed. “I guess it wanted to take me on. Of course, I was destined to win that one.”</p>
<p>“It chased you up a fence,” Reyna muttered. A loud growl suddenly cut through the air. The two German Shepherds started to whine. They backed up and ran away.</p>
<p>“Hellhound,” Nico stated looking around. He grabbed his sword. Reyna started to unsheathe her sword.</p>
<p>“You can control them, right?” Hedge asked. Nico nodded and tried to focus. Hellhounds were the one thing that was not suppose to attack children of Hades.</p>
<p>“Where is it?” Reyna wondered. Her eyes were darting around to the houses that surrounded them. Nico watched her turn away from the fence, and her eyes widened. Nico tried to turn, but something slammed into them.</p>
<p>Nico hit the ground hard. His face bounced hard off of it which busted open his lip. Nico was stuck laying on his stomach. A cry of pain left his lips as the Hellhound's claws tore into his back.</p>
<p>Nico slowly looked at Reyna. She was pinned by the other paw of the Hellhound. Reyna was laying on her back. Nico could see how the Hellhound's claws had shredded her armor, tearing into her chest.</p>
<p>“Reyna?” Nico asked unable to keep the fear out of his voice.</p>
<p>“Hedge is totally getting his ass kicked,” Reyna said in a pain filled voice. She gritted her teeth and tried to grab her sword.</p>
<p>“I wouldn't move another inch,” a woman warned. Nico looked up to see a woman standing on the other side of the fence. “My Hellhound is inclined to tear your throats out.”</p>
<p>Nico glared angrily. He studied the woman. She had red, crazed eyes and red hair. Her hair looked like it was falling out in clumps.</p>
<p>“You're the crazy lady from the supermarket,” Hedge said. He raised his club.</p>
<p>“You are the insufferable Satyr,” the woman spat. She snapped her fingers. Nico cried out as the Hellhound dug its claws deeper into his back. Reyna made a pained noise.</p>
<p>“Let them go,” Hedge snapped. He stepped forward and kept raising his club.</p>
<p>“Don't fight her,” Reyna gasped. She laid her head back and wheezed. After a moment, her head rested against the ground, and she seemed to fall unconscious.</p>
<p>“Smart girl,” the woman said as she twitched. She snapped her fingers. The Hellhound stepped away from them. Nico closed his eyes tightly as fresh blood ran from his wound.</p>
<p>“Who are you?” Hedge demanded. He hurried to Nico's side. The son of Hades made a motion towards Reyna. His best friend wasn't moving</p>
<p>“That doesn't matter,” the woman replied. She snapped her finger. A Dalmatian hopped over the fence and landed by Hedge. The Satyr yelped and fell backwards. He scrambled away.</p>
<p>“You aren't going to help your friends?” the woman taunted. She jumped over the fence in one swift movement. The woman nudged Reyna with her foot. “I don't think this one is going to last much longer.”</p>
<p>Nico glared angrily. He tried to move, but pain kept him in place. Hedge stared for a few moments and spoke, “Just let the kids go. They didn't do anything to you.”</p>
<p>“I will not suffer an insult,” the woman snapped. Nico slowly turned his head to look at the Hellhound. It seemed to have foam coming from its mouth. It looked insane.</p>
<p>“What did you do to the hellhound?” Nico asked in a weak voice.</p>
<p>“I just gave the beast some craziness,” the woman replied. Nico frowned and tried to think of exactly who was in front of him. No name came to mind.</p>
<p>“Lyssa,” Hedge muttered. “You're dead for what you did.”</p>
<p>“What are you going to do? You're just a washed up Satyr,” Lyssa taunted. Hedge yelled in rage rushed past the Dalmatian. He slammed his club into the goddess' head. She crumpled to the ground.</p>
<p>Hedge turned towards Nico but jumped backwards. He stared at the Dalmatian. Nico spoke tiredly, “Hedge, you need to face your fears. It's just a dog.”</p>
<p>Hedge stared in fear. He shook his head. Nico laid his head on the ground. This had to be the worst way to go. The hellhound growled and stalked towards them.</p>
<p>“Cupcakes, stay awake,” Hedge ordered. The hellhound lunged at the Satyr. Hedge jumped to the side He swung his club into the hellhound's head. It broke in his hands, and the hellhound stumbled back stunned.</p>
<p>Hedge grabbed Reyna's sword and lunged forward at the hellhound. He stared as it disintegrated. Hedge turned towards Nico and spoke, “Looks like I saved the day. Can you hear me? Nico, you don't look so good.”</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Nico promised, but his voice sounded slurred. Hedge slowly inched by the Dalmatian and moved towards Nico. As Nico tried to keep his eyes open, he wasn't able to. Everything faded away.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Bed Rest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nico and Reyna are put on bed rest after the hellhound attack.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“They want us to do what?” Reyna asked. Her mind was fuzzy from something. It took her a moment to realize that it was some kind of pain medication. The daughter of Bellona laid her head back.</p>
<p>“Will and Annabeth demanded that we rest,” Nico said. He was in a bed near her. The son of Hades was laying on his stomach. Even though Nico was wearing a shirt, Reyna knew he had a bandage underneath. “Annabeth called it bed rest.”</p>
<p>“Bed rest?” Reyna questioned. She looked around the room and tried to think. Her brain felt like it was processing information at half speed. It would be terrible for a fight. “What does that mean?”</p>
<p>“It means that you two are not going to leave the bed you're in,” Annabeth said from the doorway. She looked concerned. She also could have been annoyed. Reyna really couldn't tell.</p>
<p>“What exactly did you give me?” Reyna groaned. She slowly raised her hand in front of her face and clenched her fist. That would make a good weapon if she ever lost her sword. Where was her sword anyway?</p>
<p>“The strongest pain killers we could find,” Annabeth replied. “They might make you a little loopy.”</p>
<p>“Did you know that your fist would make a good weapon?” Reyna wondered. She needed to make sure they knew that. It was a really good tip. “Where did I get this tattoo from? Hylla is going to kill me when she finds out.”</p>
<p>“This is the mighty praetor of Rome,” Nico joked. He had a concerned look though. Reyna wondered why.</p>
<p>“Who?” Reyna asked. Nico started laughing. Reyna slowly looked at him. She tried to sit up.</p>
<p>“Hey, you aren't allowed to get up,” Annabeth said. She gently pushed Reyna down. “You're going to tear your stitches if you don't relax.”</p>
<p>“Why do I have stitches?” Reyna questioned. She slowly felt the bandage on her chest. “Everything feels fuzzy.”</p>
<p>“Those pain killers were stronger than we thought,” Annabeth commented. She sat by Reyna. “You two were attacked by a rabid Hellhound. Lyssa caused it to happen. She's the goddess of madness in animals.”</p>
<p>“Hedge took care of you two and gave you just enough time for the Apollo kids to get to you. It was still really close though,” Annabeth continued.</p>
<p>“I remember ice cream,” Reyna groaned. She laid her head back on the pillow. “Why doesn't anyone want me to have sugar?”</p>
<p>“You get bad sugar highs,” Nico explained. Reyna grumbled to herself and closed her eyes. She was going to get out of bed as soon as Annabeth left the room. “Does it hurt?”</p>
<p>“Does what hurt?” Reyna asked confused. She shifted and then groaned. “Yeah. It does hurt.”</p>
<p>“Are you two hungry?” Annabeth questioned. She looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned.</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Reyna replied. She pulled a dagger out of her belt and examined it. After grabbing it by the blade, she looked at Nico. “Want to play catch?”</p>
<p>“Sure,” Nico responded.</p>
<p>“No,” Annabeth interrupted. She grabbed Reyna's dagger before she could throw it. “You two are going to hurt yourselves.”</p>
<p>“We're already hurt,” Reyna argued. “We can't get hurt anymore.”</p>
<p>“It doesn't work like that,” Annabeth said. She rubbed her forehead and almost looked annoyed. Or concerned. They looked the same on Annabeth.</p>
<p>“Not with that attitude,” Reyna commented. She laid her head back. “How many painkillers did you give Nico?”</p>
<p>“Nowhere as much as you,” Nico replied. “You were in a worse shape than I was. You worried me for a little there.”</p>
<p>“I'm invincible,” Reyna promised. “Besides, a Greek goddess isn't going to take me out. Nothing Greek will.”</p>
<p>“Let's see if you say that during our next capture the flag game,” Annabeth interrupted. Reyna smirked and muttered something in Spanish. She closed her eyes tiredly.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Reyna's eyes snapped open. She turned and gasped as she felt pain in her chest. The daughter of Bellona slowly turned to look at Nico. She spoke, “What happened?”</p>
<p>“You've been unconscious for hours. I think the painkillers wore off,” Nico answered. Reyna slowly tried to sit up. It hurt, but she would live. “You were so out of it.”</p>
<p>“Did I say anything stupid?” Reyna questioned. Nico just smiled. Reyna groaned and gritted her teeth. She slowly stood. “Are you ready to get out of here?”</p>
<p>“We shouldn't be up so soon,” Nico argued. He looked restless though. Reyna smirked. Nico slowly stood. Reyna quickly helped Nico steady himself.</p>
<p>“Tear any stitches?” Reyna asked. Nico shook his head. “Good. What time is it?”</p>
<p>“It's seven,” Nico replied. Reyna nodded and grabbed her sword. She sheathed it and placed a hand to her chest. “Are you sure you shouldn't rest?”</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Reyna lied. Her chest ached horribly. She could feel that some of her stitches had been torn. Hopefully, it wouldn't show through the bandage. “How are we going to get out of here?”</p>
<p>“Shadow travel is out of the question,” Nico said. He took a step and winced. “I think going anywhere far is out of the question.”</p>
<p>“We will probably give Annabeth a heart attack when she sees us,” Reyna noted. The truth was that she didn't want to be anywhere near the infirmary. She didn't need anyone to tell her what to do.</p>
<p>“She'll kill us when she sees us walking,” Nico commented.</p>
<p>“Then, we don't let her see us,” Reyna said. She opened the door to the infirmary and peeked out. “Is everyone at the campfire?”</p>
<p>“I think so,” Nico said. Reyna nodded and motioned for him to follow. They stepped out of the infirmary. Reyna led Nico to his cabin.</p>
<p>Reyna gritted her teeth as she walked. Her chest was really starting to bother her. Nico glanced at her. He seemed to understand her pain. Reyna spoke in a quiet voice, “Hey.”</p>
<p>“You should go lay back down,” Nico suggested.</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna muttered. She gritted her teeth angrily. “I hate having to rest. I know my own limits.”</p>
<p>“You like to push them,” Nico commented. He grabbed Reyna's arm. “Can you lay down when we're in my cabin? I don't want you hurting yourself anymore.”</p>
<p>“Only because you begged,” Reyna grumbled. It felt odd to have someone worry about her so much. The only one who every really did was Hylla. Their relationship was strained though. A frown came to Reyna's face.</p>
<p>“Are you okay?” Nico asked. Reyna remained silent. Nico slowly opened the door to his cabin. Reyna walked towards Nico's bed and laid on it tiredly. “It's about Hylla, isn't it?”</p>
<p>“How can you read me like an open book?” Reyna questioned. She looked at him. “It's really annoying.”</p>
<p>“I know a thing or two about sister problems,” Nico said. Reyna nodded slightly and studied him.</p>
<p>“Your sister Bianca,” Reyna remembered. They had not spoken much about that subject. Reyna felt tempted to gather information about her from the other demigods. It didn't feel right though. Nico would talk to Reyna about it if he felt comfortable.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Nico muttered. He sat down by her and pulled his knees to his chest. Reyna sat up and looked at him. Nico looked like he wanted to speak, but his jaw was clenched.</p>
<p>“You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to,” Reyna said softly. She gripped Nico's shoulder. “I'm here if you want to talk though.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Nico whispered. He cleared his throat. “I don't think I'm ready to. Can you promise me that you will make up with your sister? You never know what can happen.”</p>
<p>“I will,” Reyna promised. She studied Nico for a few moments concerned. He was staring at a corner sadly. “How mad do you think Annabeth is going to be when she finds us?”</p>
<p>“We're going to be dead meat,” Nico guessed. Reyna smirked and leaned against the wall. The pain from her chest came back. Nico nudged her. “You shouldn't have gotten up.”</p>
<p>“I do a lot of things I shouldn't do,” Reyna commented. She looked at Nico who took a deep breath. Reyna couldn't explain why she had done it. She just didn't want to be stuck in a bed.</p>
<p>“I think I am ready to talk about Bianca,” Nico began. Reyna ignored her own pain and looked at him. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him close.</p>
<p>“Take your time,” Reyna whispered. Nico nodded and took a few deep breaths. As he opened his mouth to speak, the door suddenly opened. Annabeth stood at the doorway with crossed arms.</p>
<p>“Why are you two not in the infirmary?” Annabeth demanded.</p>
<p>“Chase, now is not the time,” Reyna said in a low voice. She felt Nico pull away and knew the moment had passed. Reyna bit back a curse and glared at Annabeth. The daughter of Athena seemed to realize that she had interrupted something.</p>
<p>“I wanted to get out of the infirmary. It was my idea,” Nico lied. Reyna glanced at him. She frowned as he didn't meet her eyes.</p>
<p>“You should have waited till you were more healed,” Annabeth chided. Reyna gave her a wolf's glare. It was one that even Lupa would have been proud of.</p>
<p>“You are not our mother Annabeth,” Reyna said in a low voice. “Do not act like you know what is best for us.”</p>
<p>“She's just worried about us,” Nico said. He gave Reyna an odd look. Reyna just glared at Annabeth. For a few moments, Annabeth studied her.</p>
<p>“I don't need anyone to worry about me,” Reyna snapped. She felt herself shutting down emotionally, and she didn't know why. Reyna suppressed a groan as she stood. She stalked past Annabeth.</p>
<p>“Reyna, wait!” Nico called. Reyna stopped at the door but didn't look back.</p>
<p>“I'll see you later Nico,” Reyna muttered. She hated that she was walking away. Reyna wanted to force herself to turn back around and apologize to Annabeth and get Nico to talk about his sister. There was something that stopped her though.</p>
<p>Reyna swallowed painfully as she realized what it was. Talking to Nico was easy. She could express her emotions and thoughts without worry. When it came to other people, she just couldn't open herself up like that. Reyna was terrified to get close to other people. They never usually lasted long in the life of a demigod.</p>
<p>As Reyna was walking away, she felt someone grab her arm. They spoke, “Where are you going cupcake?”</p>
<p>“Hedge?” Reyna questioned as she turned. Hedge was holding a large bowl of ice cream in one his hands. “What is that?”</p>
<p>“Well, you and Nico saved me today. I thought the least I could do was get you two ice cream,” Hedge said. “Why aren't you resting?”</p>
<p>Reyna didn't answer She heard two people walk up behind her. Nico grabbed her arm and spoke, “Reyna tried to escape, but you stopped her. She'll just have to stay with us Greeks for tonight.”</p>
<p>“We can watch a movie,” Hedge suggested.</p>
<p>“We don't have technology for that here,” Annabeth argued. She glanced at Reyna who avoided her eyes. Hedge just gave a grin.</p>
<p>“Chase, I uh. You know,” Reyna began. She slowly looked at Annabeth.</p>
<p>“Know what?” Annabeth teased. She smiled to show no harm was done. “It's fine. I know you aren't in the most pleasant of moods at the moment.”</p>
<p>“You can't escape having friends here,” Nico whispered. Reyna hated how he just managed to know what she was thinking. “They just keep dragging you back no matter how hard you try to escape. Trust me, I tried.”</p>
<p>Reyna couldn't tell if he was joking or not. She cleared her throat and spoke, “Hedge, should we go watch your contraband?”</p>
<p>“Of course. Come on cupcakes,” Hedge responded. He wrapped one arm around Reyna's shoulders and the other around Nico's. The Satyr started to lead them away. “You can come too Annabeth, but if you tell on us, I will have to kill you.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Abuela</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>While out in New York, Nico and Reyna run into someone unexpected.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I'm sorry, but your opinion is wrong,” Nico said as he looked at Reyna. She was rubbing her hands together as she tried to warm herself up.</p>
<p>“It's not as wrong as your opinion,” Reyna countered. She looked up at the sky and sighed. Her breath came out visible. “How do people live with snow?”</p>
<p>“Are you not use to it?” Nico taunted.</p>
<p>“I've only seen it a few times,” Reyna answered. She cursed as she almost slipped on a patch of ice. Reyna shivered again and gritted her teeth.</p>
<p>“I don't think you should be wearing tennis shoes,” Nico commented. It was kind of funny to see. He had convinced Reyna not to wear any armor other than a breastplate on her next visit. His main argument was that she would be hot if she wore full armor, but that was only because Reyna would punched him if he said she needed to not be so paranoid.</p>
<p>Nico had no clue that it had even snowed. He spent the night before at Camp Jupiter, and since he was a responsible friend, he checked the weather for New York. It was suppose to be raining, so when they had shadow traveled and stumbled out of the shadows, neither of them expected to see snow. They fell right onto their faces. Nico was the first to his feet. Then, the two had gotten into their argument.</p>
<p>“Are you sure you don't want to head to Camp Half-Blood?” Nico asked concerned. Nico was perfectly fine. He had been wearing pants and an aviator jacket that Reyna had bought him a few weeks ago.</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Reyna lied. She shivered again. Reyna was wearing tennis shoes, shorts, and a breastplate over her jacket. The daughter of Bellona pulled her hood up.</p>
<p>“You don't have to be so stubborn,” Nico said. “I don't want you catching a cold.”</p>
<p>“You can stop being so stubborn by thinking that Jason is better than Freddy Krueger,” Reyna countered.</p>
<p>“Do you really want to have this argument, Ramirez?” Nico questioned.</p>
<p>“That's Praetor Ramirez-Arellano to you,” Reyna said with a pointed look. Nico increased his speed. Reyna tried to follow but ended up slipping. A stream of curses flew from her mouth.</p>
<p>Nico was honestly surprised about how much Reyna cursed. She was so composed in public that it was just odd. Behind closed doors, she cursed like a sailor. There was no way he could prove it though. The cursing was usually in Latin or Spanish.</p>
<p>“Did Hylla curse around you that much when you were younger?” Nico questioned. Reyna looked up at him as he helped her stand.</p>
<p>“Nico, every other word out of a pirate's mouth is a curse,” Reyna explained. “I was on a ship with them for months. It becomes a habit after awhile.”</p>
<p>As Reyna stepped forward, she slipped again. Reyna tried to catch herself on the ground. Nico heard a small crack. A curse left his best friend's mouth a moment later.</p>
<p>“I hate snow,” Reyna muttered. She sat on the snow and gently felt her wrist. Nico knelt next to her worried. “Do you have nectar?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Nico answered. He quickly grabbed his canteen and handed it to Reyna. She took a small sip. “Does it hurt?”</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Reyna promised. She felt her wrist. “You can start making fun of me now.”</p>
<p>“You're injury prone,” Nico commented. He sighed. “I shouldn't have made fun of you about not being use to the snow.”</p>
<p>“Are you feeling guilt?” Reyna asked. Her nose crinkled in disgust. “Get out of here. I'm fine. Hey, you might be able to beat me in sparring now.”</p>
<p>“We can do it right now,” Nico teased. He helped Reyna stand. “You'll be sliding everywhere.”</p>
<p>“When is the movie?” Reyna questioned as she gently shoved Nico away. He almost slipped on the ice, and a small smile came to Reyna's face.</p>
<p>“We should treat your wrist first,” Nico began. Reyna gave him a look. It was her famous look that said she would punch Nico if he kept talking. “Or, we can go to the movie.”</p>
<p>“Good. Go ahead. I'm going to retie my shoes,” Reyna muttered. It was Reyna speak for leave me alone because I don't want to show my pain.</p>
<p>“I'll wait for you around the corner,” Nico muttered. He started to walk away then looked back at Reyna. “Stop being so stubborn.”</p>
<p>“After you admit Freddy Krueger is better,” Reyna said. Nico smiled and walked away. He turned the corner and leaned on a wall. He closed his eyes.</p>
<p>After a few moments, Nico muttered to himself in ancient Greek. He pushed himself off of the wall. The street was silent which allowed him to hear soft footsteps and the sound of a sword being unsheathed.</p>
<p>Nico turned and jumped backwards. He slipped on the snow and fell to the ground. His head bounced off of the ice. If he died because of this, he was never going to live it down. Nico rolled to the side as a sword landed where his groin had been.</p>
<p>Nico scrambled to his feet and looked at his opponent. He stared at the old woman. She had to be in her sixties. The old woman had silver hair and brown eyes.</p>
<p>“Death to the Greeks,” the woman spat. Nico still couldn't get over the fact that was fighting an old woman. Something about her seemed familiar. Before Nico could think about what it was, the old woman attacked.</p>
<p>Nico dodged to the side. He wondered if he should fight back. Would the old woman get hurt if he did? Was she crazy?</p>
<p>“I don't want to fight you,” Nico began. The woman attacked. Nico parried the blow and jabbed forward. The woman disarmed him. Before Nico could react, he was on his back.</p>
<p>This was not how Nico planned the fight going down. The old woman, despite her age, moved extremely fast. She was probably more agile than Nico.</p>
<p>“Leave him alone,” Reyna ordered. Nico glanced up. He saw his best friend slowly walking towards them. She had her sword in front of her in a defensive stance.</p>
<p>The old woman backed away from Nico and studied Reyna. Her eyes narrowed, and she suddenly attacked. Reyna caught the blow only for the woman to disarm her.</p>
<p>The woman placed her sword to Reyna's neck. Reyna stared for a few moments. She suddenly pushed the woman's sword away and flipped out a dagger.</p>
<p>Nico scrambled to his feet and grabbed his sword. He attacked the woman from one side. Reyna attacked from the other. The woman easily held them off.</p>
<p>Reyna hissed an order to Nico in Latin. They had been training together and gotten use to speaking battle orders in Latin and Greek. Nico nodded to show he understood.</p>
<p>It was going to be a simple maneuver. Reyna would ramp up her offense and force the woman to focus on her. Nico would flank around and attack her exposed back.</p>
<p>Reyna stabbed forward. The old woman blocked, and the two engaged in a deadly duel. Nico slipped around the back. Before he could attack, the woman suddenly spun around.</p>
<p>As the woman spun, she slammed her elbow into Reyna's face. The woman faced Nico and stabbed forward. Nico jumped backwards. His feet landed on ice, and he slipped.</p>
<p>Before Nico could stand, Reyna was thrown next to him. The woman studied them silently. Nico spoke, “We are getting destroyed by an old woman.”</p>
<p>“Who are you?” Reyna demanded. She pulled her hood off and wiped blood away from her nose. The woman seemed to hesitate. Reyna placed her good hand to the ground and slowly got into a crouched position. She scooped her sword up and lunged at the woman.</p>
<p>The woman sidestepped and tripped Reyna. The woman grabbed Reyna as she fell and held her up. The praetor tried to elbow the woman, but her elbow was caught.</p>
<p>“Reyna?” the woman asked. She turned Reyna around and seemed to study her face.</p>
<p>“Who are you?” Reyna demanded. She stumbled back as the woman let her go. Nico stood and slowly grabbed his sword. He was ready to jump to Reyna's defense.</p>
<p>“I thought you were dead,” the old woman muttered. She handed Reyna her sword. The woman then grabbed Reyna's face and gently examined her. “How is Hylla?”</p>
<p>“Who in Jupiter's name are you?” Reyna asked pulling away. She placed a hand to her bloody nose. Nico stood by his best friend's side and glared at the old woman.</p>
<p>“I'm surprised you don't recognize your grandma,” the woman commented. Reyna stared. “Of course, I suppose you were too young. Your father wanted us to stop visiting. He claimed that I was attracting the monsters.”</p>
<p>“Abuela,” Reyna whispered. The woman smiled and pulled Reyna into a hug. Reyna hugged her back.</p>
<p>“What's going on?” Nico asked. He was confused beyond belief. First, this woman wanted to kill Greeks and had tried to stab Nico in his groin. Now, she was hugging Reyna like she hadn't of seen her for years.</p>
<p>“Nico, this is my grandma,” Reyna said. Nico's jaw almost dropped open, but he could see the similarities between the two.</p>
<p>“He's a Greek,” Reyna's grandmother noted. She sheathed her sword and studied Nico up and down. Nico found himself standing a little straighter and gripping his own sword.</p>
<p>“The Romans have made peace with the Greeks,” Reyna explained. She placed the back of her hand to her nose.</p>
<p>“Sorry for attacking you,” Reyna's grandmother said. She grabbed snow and pressed it to Reyna's bloody nose.</p>
<p>“It's fine,” Nico said after a few moments. He slowly held out his hand. “I'm Nico. Son of Hades.”</p>
<p>“Isabella. Daughter of Mars,” Reyna's grandmother greeted. She shook his hand. Nico studied the older woman in front of him. Isabella had the common sense to wear pants and a large jacket. Nico would have to tease Reyna that common sense didn't travel far in her family.</p>
<p>“You're a demigod,?” Reyna questioned. Nico watched them but remained silent.</p>
<p>“There was a lot of things you father did not tell you,” Isabella commented. She smiled. “Where is he?”</p>
<p>“He's dead,” Reyna whispered. Her eyes flickered towards Nico. She looked horribly nervous. Isabella opened her mouth but closed it. She nodded once.</p>
<p>“Is that why you came to the states?” Isabella wondered. Her hand grabbed Reyna's shoulder.</p>
<p>“To make a long story short,” Reyna replied. She seemed to relax since her grandmother didn't question her too much. “You're here for the demigod ball?”</p>
<p>“Ball?” Nico interrupted. He rubbed the back of his neck in confusion. He looked between the two of them.</p>
<p>“Camp Jupiter holds a ball every five years for all former members of the legion. The current members of the legion are the ones who run things,” Isabella explained.</p>
<p>“They act as servers and waiters,” Reyna added. “The praetors host the entire thing.”</p>
<p>“How is Hylla?” Isabella wondered. She seemed to have her eye on Nico as well. Did she think that Reyna and Nico were related?</p>
<p>“Queen of the Amazons,” Reyna responded. Isabella smiled happily. She looked at her watch and back at her granddaughter.</p>
<p>“I have a meeting I must attend to. I promise that I will visit you at Camp Jupiter as soon as I can. The hardest part will be convincing the praetors to allow me to,” Isabella said.</p>
<p>“Why is that?” Nico wondered. He glanced at Reyna in confusion.</p>
<p>“I've only heard a few things about them. The boy seems to be okay. People call him inexperienced. They call the female a hard ass,” Isabella answered.</p>
<p>“She is,” Nico promised. He made an odd noise as Reyna punched him in the back.</p>
<p>“It was nice to see you again abuela,” Reyna said. She hugged her grandmother. Isabella hugged her back and looked at Nico.</p>
<p>“It was a pleasure to meet you son of Pluto,” Isabella said.</p>
<p>“You too,” Nico replied. Isabella nodded and walked away. Reyna stared at her for a few moments. When Reyna's grandmother was out of sight, the praetor turned on Nico.</p>
<p>“Hard ass?” Reyna demanded. Nico shrugged. “You're dead meat.”</p>
<p>“You have to catch me first,” Nico taunted. He turned to run but slipped on the snow. Nico tried to catch himself on the ground but felt something in his wrist break.</p>
<p>“I call that karma,” Reyna said. She helped Nico stand and examined his wrist. “It looks like we have matching injuries.”</p>
<p>“We are not going to live this down,” Nico commented. He smiled as Reyna handed him ambrosia.</p>
<p>“We can just claim that I am so accident prone that it has rubbed off on you,” Reyna said. Nico laughed. “Do you want to head back to Camp Half-Blood or see the movie?”</p>
<p>“We're going to watch the movie,” Nico promised. He smiled at Reyna. “After this.”</p>
<p>“After what?” Reyna asked confused. Nico smiled and scooped up snow. He threw it right at Reyna's face. The daughter of Bellona stared for a few moments. “You are so dead.”</p>
<p>“You have to catch me first,” Nico taunted. He turn and ran away. Reyna chased after him. Nico turned the corner only to slip on a patch of ice. Reyna caught him by his jacket before he could fall.</p>
<p>“Hurt?” Reyna asked.</p>
<p>“No,” Nico answered.</p>
<p>“Good,” Reyna said. Nico cried out in surprise as Reyna dumped snow down his shirt. She let go of him. Nico turned and stared at her.</p>
<p>“That was a low blow,” Nico complained.</p>
<p>“Do you know what else is?” Reyna asked.</p>
<p>“What is?” Nico wondered. Before he could react, Reyna threw snow in his face. Nico stared. Reyna winked and took off running. He chased after her vowing vengeance.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Game Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nico, Reyna, Annabeth, and Percy participate in a friendly game night.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“If you do that, I will kill you,” Reyna warned. Her voice was deadly quiet. Her glare was deadly serious. Reyna stared down the person across from her.</p>
<p>“I'm going to do it,” Annabeth promised. She picked up the dice that was laying on the board. Nico held his breath. Despite the fact that it was Monopoly, he was getting scared.</p>
<p>Nico had been knocked out of the game first. He had terrible luck with dice. There was also the fact that Monopoly really relied on numbers, and Nico's math skills were really rusted. Oh, there was also the small fact that Annabeth was a freak of nature when it came to math.</p>
<p>“All you need to do is avoid getting a three,” Percy said. He was taken out second. Percy mistakenly believed Annabeth would go nice on him since they were dating. Annabeth quickly destroyed that thought by targeting him and getting rid of him in twelve turns.</p>
<p>Reyna was the only one who survived the onslaught. She had been playing it smart and quiet. The quiet part came from the fact that she was losing her voice. Reyna had spent the day before yelling at legionnaires for a prank gone horribly wrong.</p>
<p>All Nico knew was that there was a game of paintball that had been conducted inside camp and near the temples. Multiple statues ended up covered in paint. One belonged to Bellona. Another belonged to Mars and third to Jupiter. It was the last three statues that anyone would want to hit.</p>
<p>“So, what should I not do?” Annabeth asked Reyna. There was a huge smile on her face.</p>
<p>“Roll a three,” Reyna replied in a hoarse voice. Annabeth laughed as did Percy. Reyna glared daggers at the two. “I hate you both.”</p>
<p>“You know you love us,” Percy teased. He leaned on Annabeth and ate a handful of popcorn.</p>
<p>“I would love to punch you,” Reyna muttered. Nico smiled slightly and glanced at Reyna. She glared, and he lost his smile.</p>
<p>“What?” Percy asked. Reyna didn't respond. Nico gently nudged Reyna's shoulder. He was the one who suggested she step away from Camp Jupiter for the night.</p>
<p>“Someone is just cranky because they got yelled at by Lupa,” Annabeth teased. Reyna looked up and glared.</p>
<p>“Wouldn't it be growled at?” Percy questioned. Reyna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Nico placed a hand to her shoulder and rubbed it. Reyna released her grip on her dagger.</p>
<p>Annabeth rolled the die. Reyna glared up at the roof of the Hades cabin as Annabeth rolled a three. Reyna picked up the die and looked like she wanted to crush it.</p>
<p>“You just have to roll a seven,” Nico said. Earlier in the game, Annabeth had told them it was the most likely number to end up rolling. Nico didn't want to know why she knew that, but he believed her, considering that was what he kept rolling.</p>
<p>Reyna nodded and shook the die in her hand. She studied the board intently. Her piece was in no man's land. Everything around her was filled with hotels and houses that belonged to Annabeth. Reyna took a deep breath and rolled the die.</p>
<p>“Son of a bitch!” Reyna snapped. Nico couldn't help it. He started laughing. Percy and Annabeth joined in. Reyna muttered something in Spanish, and it sounded like more curses.</p>
<p>Reyna glared intently at the die. She tossed her Monopoly money at Annabeth angrily. The daughter of Athena counted it up and spoke, “You're missing five dollars.”</p>
<p>“I don't have anymore money,” Reyna muttered.</p>
<p>“You have a wallet,” Annabeth commented. Reyna shot her a look. The daughter of Athena laughed for a small moment. Then, her face returned to neutral. “No, I'm actually serious. It's in the rules.”</p>
<p>“You're lying,” Reyna said. She crossed her arms. Her voice sounded worse ever since she had yelled after losing the game.</p>
<p>“What is Annabeth doing?” Percy asked. He looked like he was trying not to laugh.</p>
<p>“Lying,” Reyna answered. Percy started laughing. Reyna glared. Nico looked at the rule book. His eyes widened.</p>
<p>“It does say that,” Nico said. Reyna grabbed the rule book out of his hands. She stared at the words.</p>
<p>“There's no way this is real,” Reyna said in a low voice. Nico thought it was anger, but he realized she couldn't speak any louder.</p>
<p>“It's a rule. I thought that Romans followed rules,” Annabeth teased. Reyna pressed her finger against the rule book and smudged the sentence. She showed Annabeth the ink on her thumb.</p>
<p>“Did you really fake an entire rule book to get money?” Reyna demanded.</p>
<p>“Percy dared me to,” Annabeth responded. She started to put away the game. Reyna glared at both of them. Nico helped put Monopoly away. He slowly grabbed the trivia game that had been set out earlier.</p>
<p>“I call Annabeth,” Nico said quickly. Reyna gave him an offended look. Nico looked away. “Sorry.”</p>
<p>“She's my girlfriend, so we are working together,” Percy countered.</p>
<p>“I'll take Nico,” Annabeth said. Percy's jaw dropped opened. He finally moved to Reyna's side. Nico hurried to Annabeth's.</p>
<p>“Wait,” Percy said. He looked at Reyna. “You left your home when you were like ten. So, you have like a fourth grade education.”</p>
<p>“Which is better than you,” Reyna muttered. She rubbed her throat and looked at the trivia game. “How do we play this?”</p>
<p>“One teams asks the other a question. One team get to chose who answers the question, but the answering team can pick one of three categories on the card. If they get it right, they get a point,” Annabeth explained.</p>
<p>Nico grabbed a card. He saw the three categories were math, history, and language. He didn't both to look at the actual questions. Since Percy had more education, he choose Reyna to answer the question.</p>
<p>“History,” Reyna muttered. Nico looked at the card and read the question for history. Annabeth read it over his shoulder. She shot him a look.</p>
<p>“Did you read the question before you chose her?” Annabeth wondered.</p>
<p>“No,” Nico admitted. He looked at Reyna. “Who led Rome into the period known as the Pax Romana?”</p>
<p>“Augustus Caesar,” Reyna answered.</p>
<p>“Wrong,” Annabeth said. Reyna gave her a look. Nico glanced at Annabeth.</p>
<p>“It was Augustus,” Reyna argued.</p>
<p>“The card says Octavian Caesar,” Annabeth explained.</p>
<p>“They are the same person,” Reyna snapped. Nico barely kept in his laugh from how Reyna's voice squeaked. Percy wasn't so lucky. Reyna didn't look at Percy as she slapped him in the back of the head.</p>
<p>“We have to go by what the cards says,” Annabeth argued. “We can give you half a point for getting the Caesar part right.”</p>
<p>“You get the next question,' Reyna snapped. She grabbed the card and looked at it. “Science, history, or art.”</p>
<p>“Art,” Annabeth answered after a moment.</p>
<p>“Who wrote Oedipus Rex?” Reyna questioned. Nico wanted to ask how that was art, but he was scared of Reyna at the moment.</p>
<p>“Sophocles,” Annabeth answered without hesitation. Nico smiled. Score one for them.</p>
<p>“Wrong,” Reyna said. Annabeth shot her a look. Reyna showed them the card. “The answer is Sophocles. There is a period at the end. You have to add the period to your answer.”</p>
<p>“The correct answer would be Sophocles period,” Reyna explained.</p>
<p>“You are getting the next question, praetor,” Annabeth said through narrowed eyes. “History, art, or math.”</p>
<p>“History,” Reyna answered through gritted teeth. Annabeth looked at the card and glared.</p>
<p>“Which area of the world is the greatest source of civilization. Want a hint? It is not Rome,” Annabeth taunted.</p>
<p>“What city-state fell because they were too scared to fight and barricaded themselves. They were crippled by a plague,” Reyna countered.</p>
<p>“What empire almost lost to an escaped gladiator?” Annabeth asked.</p>
<p>“What city-state became power hungry and wasted so much money on temple instead of the defense that the money was intended for?” Reyna countered.</p>
<p>“What great empire fell to uncivilized barbarians?” Annabeth asked. Reyna opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came out. Nico realized that Reyna's voice had gone out. Annabeth smirked. “It looks like I win this argument.”</p>
<p>Reyna grabbed the deck of trivia cards. She stabbed her dagger into it out of anger. Annabeth started laughing. Nico rubbed Reyna's shoulder and spoke, “You should rest your voice.”</p>
<p>Reyna glared at all of them and then focused on the ground. Nico smiled. Despite how annoyed she looked, Nico knew that Reyna had fun and was able to relax. Annabeth smiled at Reyna, who looked like she was trying to fight her own smile.</p>
<p>“You should the camp before dinner tomorrow,” Percy warned. He looked at all of them. “Prank week begins.”</p>
<p>“The Stolls are really keeping that up?” Nico questioned. Annabeth nodded. “Who is off limits?”</p>
<p>“No one,” Annabeth answered. Percy nodded and winced.</p>
<p>“Not even Chiron and Dionysus. Although, Mr. D did threaten to turn someone into a dolphin and permanently ban prank week if anyone tried to prank him.”</p>
<p>“The Stolls are the ones who normally do the pranks, we have a few of them planned,” Annabeth said. Percy nodded. “Now, we should continue with my winning streak.”</p>
<p>“What's our next game?” Nico questioned. Reyna grabbed a card game. Nico's eyes widened as he realized it was Uno.</p>
<p>“The game that ruins friendships,” Percy whispered. He stared as if he was in awe. Reyna took the cards out of the box and started to shuffle them. She stared into Annabeth's eyes as she passed out the card.</p>
<p>“Should we really play this?” Nico questioned. Reyna nodded once and flipped over a red seven from the remnants of the deck. Nico placed down a red skip. Percy gasped in mock shock.</p>
<p>Annabeth looked Reyna dead in the eyes. Reyna glared at her angrily. It was like she was daring the daughter of Athena to anger her even more. Annabeth smiled, and she placed down a draw four.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Prank Week Part One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Look at the wild campers,” Travis Stoll whispered as he leaned forward. “They roam around and fear for their lives. There is no telling when the lions will strike. No one knows.”</p>
<p>“All the wild campers can do is wait,” Connor Stoll added. “They know that the end is neigh. This camp will be torn asunder. Prank week has begun!”</p>
<p>“Why are you two sitting at my table?” Nico slowly asked. He stared at the two brothers. They both had devious grins. It was the kind that told him to run.</p>
<p>“We have a prank planned,” Travis whispered. He leaned forward. “It is a prank so dangerous that we may lose our lives.”</p>
<p>“We are going to prank Reyna,” Connor announced. Nico choked on his food. He had a coughing fit. Travis and Connor both took turns hitting him on the back. Nico finally managed to calm himself.</p>
<p>The entire idea was suicidal. Reyna still wasn't over the night before. Nico vowed to never play Uno with Reyna again. If the Stolls were smart, they would stay out of the praetor's path.</p>
<p>“We want your help,” Travis began. If Nico had taken another bite of food, he would have been choking on it too.</p>
<p>“No,” Nico interrupted. He placed his fork down. The Stolls kept him from standing. “She will kill me if I help you.”</p>
<p>“She wouldn't kill her best friend,” Connor argued. He smiled excitedly. “It's the perfect plan. At the moment, Reyna is sparring with Clarisse.”</p>
<p>“We're going to prank her too,” Travis added.</p>
<p>“You two are insane,” Nico muttered. He tried once again to stand but felt two hands stop him. Travis and Connor smiled at him.</p>
<p>“Let us help you,” Connor said. The Stolls stood and pulled Nico to his feet. Nico's eyes widened as he heard the sound of fabric tearing.</p>
<p>“Glue at the bottom of the bench is the best,” Travis commented. Nico tried to get away from the two. They held him up as the rest of his shorts fell away. “That answers the boxers or briefs question.”</p>
<p>Nico could hear laughing from the campers but mostly the Ares cabin. Jerks. He managed to twist out of the Stolls' grasp. Nico turned and fled towards his cabin, leaving his pants behind. Prank week was the actual worst.</p>
<p>Nico turned a corner and slammed into someone at full speed. Nico fell on top of the person that he slammed into, and Reyna stared up at him. A frown came to her face.</p>
<p>“You aren't wearing pants,” Reyna commented. Her voice had come back, but she could barely talk.</p>
<p>“Prank week,” Nico muttered. He helped Reyna stand. The praetor rubber her shoulder. Nico watched her concerned. “Did Clarisse hurt you?”</p>
<p>“She may have knocked my shoulder out of place,” Reyna answered.</p>
<p>“We're going to the infirmary,” Nico said. He grabbed Reyna's arm and started to led her away. Reyna didn't fight which was odd. Nico was too embarrassed to dwell on it. He tried to hide behind Reyna to keep anyone from seeing him.</p>
<p>“Is anyone even in there?” Reyna questioned. Nico stopped walking. Then, he sighed and kept walking again.</p>
<p>“I need to get Will,” Nico groaned. He led Reyna towards the infirmary and stopped outside of it. Nico went to open the door but stopped. He turned towards Reyna. “Don't move.”</p>
<p>“I won't move an inch,” Reyna promised. She leaned on the wall and placed a hand to her shoulder. Reyna closed her eyes tiredly.</p>
<p>Nico hurried back the way he came. He then realized that he was still only wearing boxers. Nico groaned and walked towards his cabin. He ignored the stares he received from campers that were late to breakfast. If there was one bright side, his boxers had been torn off by glue on the bench. The Stolls would probably poison the food of anyone yet to make it to breakfast.</p>
<p>“Today is going to be a good day,” Nico whispered. He opened the door of his cabin and stepped inside. There was a small noise. Nico didn't have time to react as something fell on him and covered him.</p>
<p>“Today is going to be a good day,” Nico repeated. He wiped the paint from this eyes. “Today is going to be a good day after I kill the Stolls.”</p>
<p>Nico didn't bother with the shorts. He stared down at the pink paint for a moment. Then, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the cabin. This was just insulting. The Stolls had gone too far this time.</p>
<p>It wasn't until he was halfway to the pavilion that he stopped once again. The campers would only laugh at him even more than before. His best option was to get cleaned off. What if there was a trap at the showers though?</p>
<p>Nico looked down. He walked back towards the infirmary. Reyna, hopefully, wouldn't laugh at him. Nico walked towards Reyna who was still leaning against the infirmary. Upon seeing him, Reyna's eyebrow raised, and her lips twitched.</p>
<p>“What happened to you?” Reyna questioned. She seemed to bring her expression back under control.</p>
<p>“This stupid prank week,” Nico grumbled. He crossed his arms. “First the glue and then paint.”</p>
<p>“Why target you twice?” Reyna questioned. She rubbed her shoulder and put a hand to the door of the infirmary. Nico didn't answer. “Nico?”</p>
<p>“I hate this week already,” Nico muttered. Reyna looked away. She sighed and opened her mouth. A scream suddenly tore through the camp. It was joined by more screams.</p>
<p>“Are we being attacked?” Reyna questioned. Her hand moved to her sword. Nico turned his head towards the screaming and saw it was coming from one cabin. He knew exactly what was going on.</p>
<p>“Spiders,” Nico said. He grabbed Reyna's arm and led her towards the Athena cabin. Reyna followed him quietly. Nico saw that a few campers had already gathered around the cabin. Most of them looked concerned, so they had to be new to the camp/</p>
<p>A glance at the cabin showed the door was wide open. Almost every child of Athena was huddled in a corner of the room, and they all looked terrified.</p>
<p>“Where is the spider?” Nico whispered. He pushed to the front of the crowd but couldn't see anything. Reyna followed behind him.</p>
<p>“Are they really that scared of spiders?” Reyna whispered back. Nico nodded. Reyna sighed and walked into the cabin. She looked at the ground and finally stepped on a tiny spider. “You're all free from the evil spider now.”</p>
<p>“It's spirit will continue to haunt us,” a child of Athena whispered.</p>
<p>“Greeks are weird,” Reyna commented. She walked out of the cabin. Nico followed behind her. He saw people pointing at him and laughing. Nico groaned as he realized they were laughing at him and that he would have to clean the paint off of himself and then his cabin.</p>
<p>Nico looked up as he heard footsteps. Annabeth ran towards them. She spoke, “What happened?”</p>
<p>“The Stolls put a spider in your cabin,” Nico responded.</p>
<p>“A really small spider,” Reyna added. “Where's Percy?”</p>
<p>“He has drawings on his face,” Annabeth muttered. She rubbed her face tiredly. “How did the Stolls manage to set so many pranks up?”</p>
<p>“They didn't get any sleep,” Nico guessed.</p>
<p>“There is no way they could have done that,” Annabeth argued. “The two rely on sleep. They wouldn't be able to function. Besides, they always space their pranks out”</p>
<p>“It's simple then,” Reyna interrupted. “The person who set these pranks up has problems with the children of Athena, Nico, and Jackson. They stayed up all night and set up the pranks. The Stolls were just the scapegoat.”</p>
<p>“Who is evil enough to do that?” Annabeth wondered. Her eyes widened. “The Ares cabin!”</p>
<p>“Are they smart enough to do this?” Nico grumbled. He didn't enjoy that he was covered in paint. Nico crossed his arms. He only wondered how the Ares cabin managed to pull together to set up the pranks, since they all shared the same brain cell.</p>
<p>Nico knew that the Ares cabin had a small bit of infighting. By infighting, he meant that Clarisse was upset at her cabin. He didn't know the exact details though. Considering Clarisse wouldn't even look at her siblings, she couldn't be involved</p>
<p>“What do we do about it?” Annabeth wondered. It was clear that her mind was already racing.</p>
<p>“Revenge,” Nico responded. He grabbed Reyna's arm. “You are going to be instrumental in getting it.”</p>
<p>“My shoulder,” Reyna began. She followed Nico and Annabeth. “Shouldn't we get it checked out?”</p>
<p>“Since when do you care about getting treatment after you get hurt?” Nico demanded. The only thing he could focus on was revenge.</p>
<p>“I don't,” Reyna responded. “You two usually nag me into getting checked out.”</p>
<p>“We can do it after revenge,” Annabeth said. Reyna rolled her eyes. She felt around her shoulder and made a pained noise as she popped her shoulder back into place.</p>
<p>“Better already?” Nico asked. He opened his cabin door and sat down. “Annabeth, get Percy.”</p>
<p>Annabeth nodded and hurried out. Reyna sighed and stretched her shoulder. She winced in pain and spoke, “You're really caught up on revenge.”</p>
<p>“Look what the Ares cabin did to me,” Nico snapped. “You would be mad if they did this to you.”</p>
<p>“Doubt it,” Reyna said with a shrug. She winced in pain. Nico watched her suspiciously. Why wasn't Reyna more upset. Reyna looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think I did that?”</p>
<p>“Maybe,” Nico responded.</p>
<p>“Would I really douse my best friend with pink paint?” Reyna demanded. She glared angrily. “What would I gain out of putting a spider in Annabeth's cabin. If I did do it, I would have used a Tarantula and made sure Annabeth was in the cabin.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Nico said. He relaxed and looked down. Nico was being a fool “Sorry.”</p>
<p>Reyna shrugged. She sat on the bed and leaned against the wall. Nico looked down. Now, he felt terrible for accusing his best friend.</p>
<p>“Want to help us with revenge?” Nico slowly asked.</p>
<p>“I'm good,” Reyna muttered. She stood and walked towards the door “I have a meeting to keep with Chiron.”</p>
<p>“What's it about?” Nico questioned. Reyna walked out without responding. “And, I pissed her off. Great.”</p>
<p>Annabeth walked in a minute later with Percy. The son of Poseidon was using his hands to cover his face. Percy slowly lowered his hands. Nico barely choked back a laugh.</p>
<p>“That's a very accurate picture of that,” Nico commented. Percy tried to cover his face and hide the image. It was exactly what a teenage boy would draw.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Nico. Very helpful,” Percy muttered. He crossed his arms.</p>
<p>“Where did Reyna go?” Annabeth wondered. She closed the door of the cabin and sat Percy down.</p>
<p>“I made her mad by accusing her of setting the pranks,” Nico commented.</p>
<p>“Reyna would never do that,” Annabeth protested.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Percy agreed. “She doesn't have a fun bone in her body.”</p>
<p>“She does, but you just bother her,” Nico said. He crossed his arms and stared at the ground.</p>
<p>“Can we focus on revenge?” Percy interrupted.</p>
<p>“We're going to do revenge first,” Annabeth said. “Then, we are going to help Nico apologize. The Ares cabin will realize their mistake soon, and they will pay.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Prank Week II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I think that cooperative capture the flag games would be good,” Reyna said as she leaned back in her seat. She was sitting outside the Big House playing Pinochle with Dionysus and Chiron. Dionysus kept muttering in ancient Greek about how he wished that he could be hiding at Olympus like the others.</p>
<p>“When should we start them?” Chiron wondered. He placed down a bet. Reyna bit her lip as she considered her options. She finally placed her own bet.</p>
<p>“We have a ball coming up for former legionaries. The best time would probably be after that,” Reyna responded. “I can also have anyone that lives outside of camp keep an eye out for demigods and have them sent your way.”</p>
<p>“I can have the Satyrs do the same,” Chiron offered.</p>
<p>“I will have to decline,” Reyna said. “Lupa would tear me apart if I agreed. She thinks that every demigod must find their own way.”</p>
<p>“You should agree,” Dionysus interrupted. “I love watching demigods being torn apart.”</p>
<p>“I love beating gods at Pinochle,” Reyna commented as she placed her cards on the table. Dionysus glared. Reyna watched him calmly. “Is there anything else we have to discuss, Chiron?”</p>
<p>“I believe that covers it,” Chiron answered. “I will be sending an Iris message in a few days to hammer out the details.”</p>
<p>Reyna nodded. She stood and spoke, “It was a honor to play Lord Dionysus. The same to you Chiron. I must head back to my camp now.”</p>
<p>“Goodbye praetor,”Chiron said. Reyna nodded to him and turned away. She walked down the steps. Reyna glanced around the camp. The after effects of the Stolls' pranks were starting to show.</p>
<p>“Roman,” a voice said. Reyna turned to look at Clarisse. “Running off so soon?”</p>
<p>“I have to get back to my camp,” Reyna responded. She saw two campers glancing at them as they walked past.</p>
<p>“Are you sure that you aren't just running from the beating I gave you?” Clarisse sneered.</p>
<p>“You managed to knock my shoulder out of socket because of luck,” Reyna said. She crossed her arms. Reyna glanced around to see the two campers turn a corner. No one was in sight.</p>
<p>“I think we did great,” Clarisse commented. A cruel grin came to her face “Do they suspect anything?”</p>
<p>“Nico did at first,” Reyna responded. She glanced around. “I just had to pretend I was angry. He immediately backtracked.”</p>
<p>“My siblings will pay for what they did,” Clarisse grumbled. She pushed herself off of the wall. “Chase and Jackson want revenge on them?”</p>
<p>“Well, you did draw something crude on Jackson's face,” Reyna said. “I think he wants revenge. That was pretty sad of you too.”</p>
<p>“You're the one who put a spider in Annabeth's cabin,” Clarisse countered. “You also caused your best friend to get covered in paint.”</p>
<p>“Worth it,” Reyna decided. She sighed tiredly. “I better head back to Camp Jupiter. Annabeth will have the flag next week, right?”</p>
<p>Clarisse nodded. Reyna turned to walk away. She knew it was a little childish and immature to pull pranks, but at the same time, it had been fun. When Clarisse brought it up, Reyna found that she couldn't decline, and no one suspected them. Clarisse spoke, “It was fun. We need to do that again.”</p>
<p>“You'll have to come to my camp sometime,” Reyna commented. She turned around. “The story of you killing the drakon spread around after Jackson told it to Dakota. Lots of campers want to meet you.”</p>
<p>“We'll see,” Clarisse said. Reyna smirked. She walked away and walked towards Nico's cabin. Reyna knocked on the door and stepped in.</p>
<p>Nico looked up at her. He was putting on a clean shirt. It seemed like he had cleaned himself up. While Reyna did enjoy pulling the pranks, she felt bad that Nico had reacted so badly. She thought he would find it as funny as she did. Granted, being covered in paint was rather embarrassing, especially since the Stolls had destroyed his pants.</p>
<p>“I'm heading out,” Reyna said. She leaned on the cabin door and smiled slightly “I thought I would stop by.”</p>
<p>“I am really sorry for accusing you,” Nico began.</p>
<p>“It's cool. I would be mad too,” Reyna promised. She bit the inside of her lip and tried to ignore the guilt that was blossoming. “Where did Jackson and Chase go?”</p>
<p>Before Nico could answer, the Stolls barged past Reyna and into the cabin. Reyna turned to look at them. One glared at her. The other was covered in paint. Could she frame one of them for pulling a prank on the other?</p>
<p>“We know what you did,” one of the Stolls said. Reyna didn't know which one. She didn't have time to care. Reyna grabbed both of them by their shirt collars and dragged them out of the cabin.</p>
<p>“If you say a word, I will kill you,” Reyna hissed. She shoved both of them away and glared at them.</p>
<p>“What do you think, Connor?” the Stoll covered in paint asked.</p>
<p>“We should Travis, “Connor answered. Reyna glared at both of them.</p>
<p>“What's going on?” Nico questioned. He stepped out of his cabin. The Stolls looked at him. Connor nodded to his brother. Reyna glared at both of them and placed a hand to her sword. The Stolls exchanged looks once again.</p>
<p>“Reyna saw that there was paint in the infirmary. She didn't warn us,” Travis replied. “She should have though.”</p>
<p>Reyna released her grip on her sword but kept a piercing gaze on the two of them. If they said a word, she was going to hurt them. Then, Clarisse would pulverize them. Reyna glanced at Nico.</p>
<p>“Why would you walk into your own paint trap?” Nico wondered. There was a frown on his face.</p>
<p>“Someone framed us,” Connor said. “We're not sure who.”</p>
<p>Travis shot Reyna a look. She made a point of placing her hand back to her sword. Nico looked in between them. His eyes widened a fraction, and he stepped back. Reyna instinctively ducked to the side.</p>
<p>Connor yelped as he got hit by a water balloon. Reyna immediately covered his nose and mouth. While she had been in a few sewers as a kid, this smelled much worst. It was probably the worst stench that she ever had the displeasure of smelling. Connon started gagging.</p>
<p>“This is not cool,” Connor complained. He gagged even more. Between Travis' gags, he was trying to laugh. “What is this?”</p>
<p>“You don't want to know,” Annabeth promised. She was holding two more water balloons. Percy stood next to her holding a bag full of them. He had his face covered in war paint. It covered Clarisse's horrible drawing.</p>
<p>“We didn't do it” Travis complained. “It was Reyna and Clarisse.”</p>
<p>Reyna stayed frozen in place as her three friends turned to look at her. Nico looked the most hurt. He spoke, “You set up all those pranks?”</p>
<p>“It wasn't like that,” Reyna began. Battle instincts saved her from being hit by a water balloon. She dodged to the side at the last moment. It flew by her face.</p>
<p>“You drew this on my face,” Percy complained. He threw another water balloon. Reyna dodged again.</p>
<p>“If you would give me time to explain,” Reyna began. Annabeth held up a hand. Reyna waited before taking a step back. “I didn't think it would go down like this, and Clarisse drew it.”</p>
<p>“You doused me in paint,” Nico said. “You put a spider in Annabeth's cabin. Why not come to us? We could have pulled a prank on someone else.”</p>
<p>“It's a really simple explanation,” Reyna said. She ducked behind the Hades cabin and took off running. For once, Reyna was grateful that she wasn't wearing armor. She ran towards the Big House putting as many walls as possible between her and the others.</p>
<p>Reyna darted out from a cabin at full speed and saw Clarisse standing at the front entrance of the Big House. Reyna quickly jumped onto the porch and spoke, “They know.”</p>
<p>“How?” Clarisse demanded. Reyna took a few moments to steady her breathing. Clarisse glanced around.</p>
<p>“Stolls,” Reyna answered. “I guess they heard us talking. Jackson and Chase have water balloons and are not far behind.”</p>
<p>Clarisse seemed to think. She spoke, “Chiron. They won't hit us if we are next to him.”</p>
<p>“I have good aim,” Annabeth interrupted. She walked towards them. Percy was trying to sneak around the side. Reyna could guess that Nico was flanking their other side. How were they so fast?</p>
<p>“We can talk this out,” Reyna began. She backed up to the door and placed a hand on the handle. “You do not want to throw that water balloon.”</p>
<p>“Are you really going to hide behind Chiron?” Annabeth challenged. “I thought Romans were suppose to be tough. Are you scared of a fight?”</p>
<p>“This is more of a sneak attack,” Clarisse commented. “Of course, the children of Athena were always cowards.”</p>
<p>Annabeth threw the water balloon. Clarisse dove to the side. Reyna ducked below the water balloon. She instinctively opened the door to block the balloon that Percy threw. Reyna wasn't fast enough to avoid the balloon that Nico threw.</p>
<p>It hit her right in the face. Reyna gagged as she tasted some of the liquid. She turned her head to the side and spat some of it out. Nico started laughing, but Reyna was too busy gagging and choking.</p>
<p>“That was for the paint,” Nico said still laughing. Reyna wiped her face with her shirt. It took her a moment to look back up, and she barely ducked another balloon.</p>
<p>“Really?” Reyna complained. She slipped around the door. Reyna was standing right in front of the entrance. She was ready to duck inside if she needed to.</p>
<p>“I haven't gotten revenge for the spider in my cabin,” Annabeth said with a shrug. “Why do that anyway?”</p>
<p>“You aren't targeting Clarisse,” Reyna complained. She smelled horrible and couldn't get the taste out of her mouth. Reyna didn't even want to describe it.</p>
<p>“She's next,” Annabeth promised. She threw the water balloon. Reyna ducked under it. Annabeth's eyes widened. Reyna felt some of the liquid hit her back, and she could only guess the balloon hit something else. It took a moment for her to turn around, and she stared at Dionysus.</p>
<p>Liquid dripped off of the god's face. His eyes were a literal purple fire. After taking a deep breath, he spoke, “Who?”</p>
<p>Reyna stayed silent. She glanced behind her and saw that the Greeks were standing there with water balloons in their hands and shocked looks on their faces. There was a huge grin on Clarisse's face. Dionysus spoke, “Why am I covered in this, and who is going to die because of it? No, I don't want anyone to answer that”</p>
<p>“You all have three seconds to leave. As of now, prank week is officially done. Understood?” Dionysus demanded. The demigods slowly nodded. “Praetor, I want you to stay behind because we need to discuss how you have not displayed the behavior of a leader.”</p>
<p>Nico shot Reyna an apologetic look. Reyna just stayed where she was. She watched the others leave. Dionysus turned to look at her. The two stayed in silence for a few moments. When the others were out of sight, a small smile came to Dionysus' face.</p>
<p>“I believe this went better than planned,” Dionysus commented. He waved his hand, and the liquid disappeared from his shirt. Reyna stood. “You have my thanks praetor. Zeus would never allow me to get rid of prank week unless I have a valid excuse.”</p>
<p>“You can now get rid of prank week, or you get to fry Annabeth for hitting you. Can't have you frying the architect of Olympus,” Reyna said with a shrug. Dionysus nodded. “Anything else you need my lord?”</p>
<p>“Respect is a wonderful thing,” Dionysus commented. “You performed your job to the letter, and you have the support you need.”</p>
<p>“Thank you sir,” Reyna said. Dionysus turned away. Reyna started to walk away. She wiped her face again, which didn't do much as her shirt was soaking wet.</p>
<p>“You didn't get killed,” Nico said. He turned a corner from where he had been hiding. “That's good. Now, what is going on exactly?”</p>
<p>“Yesterday I approached Dionysus about some support that I needed. He told me that he would help if I managed to help him get rid of prank week. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you,” Reyna explained.</p>
<p>“Sorry about the balloon,” Nico said. Reyna shrugged. She deserved it.</p>
<p>“I have to leave. See you next week?” Reyna asked. Nico smirked and gave her a tight hug. He pulled away and made a disgusted face.</p>
<p>“You smell horrible,” Nico commented. Reyna rolled her eyes. Nico smiled. “I'll see you next week Reyna. Stay safe.”</p>
<p>“Watch out for the remaining paint,” Reyna teased. Nico's eyes darted around. Reyna smirked and gave him another hug. Then, she pulled away and walked towards the stables.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Cult</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Today is going to be great,” Nico said to himself. He stood and brushed himself off. Shadow traveling was tiring business. It was the easiest way to get to Camp Jupiter though.</p><p>Nico was a little worried. He always Iris messaged Reyna every night. For the past two days, there had been no communication from Reyna. Nico had sent an Iris message to Frank who had only told him that his fellow praetor was on a secret mission.</p><p>Apparently, Reyna was suppose to be returning that day. Nico wanted to be there to greet her. That was why he was there so early. There was something he had to do before that though.</p><p>Nico walked around until he found Hazel. She was leaning on a wall talking to Frank. That was good. Nico wouldn't have to hunt down Frank later and demand answers.</p><p>“Hey,” Nico greeted. Frank turned and smiled at him. Hazel hugged Nico tightly.</p><p>“I've missed you,” Hazel said. “You need to visit more.”</p><p>“Sorry,” Nico began. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Camp Half-Blood has busy lately. We had the Hunters of Artemis come.”</p><p>Saying the words left a bitter taste in his mouth. Bianca had died because of them. They had put Reyna in danger with Orion had attacked them. The bitter taste got worse. He would probably drink acid to get it out.</p><p>“The Hunters are going to be visiting here soon,” Frank said. “Everyone is really excited. We have a pretty cool war game planned.”</p><p>Nico nodded and didn't respond. He may have accidentally glared at Frank since the praetor looked away. Hazel nudged him and spoke, “Are you waiting for Reyna?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Nico responded. He frowned. “Where is she anyway?”</p><p>“I'm not sure,” Frank responded. He glanced around and leaned in close. “About two days ago, a wolf came limping into the camp. It was one of Lupa's. Reyna and I discussed what we should do. We decided that she would go with the wolf to find out what had happened.”</p><p>“And?” Nico questioned. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Frank's look confirmed it.</p><p>“I haven't heard anything from Reyna. I even tried speaking to my father. No one has heard from Lupa. She's usually a rogue, but she reports to them once a month. It's been over a month without a report,” Frank explained. “Lupa wasn't at the wolf house either.</p><p>“Lupa was attacked,” Nico guessed. He kept his voice quiet. Something told him that those words would send a panic throughout the camp. Frank nodded. “Reyna could be in trouble then.”</p><p>Frank nodded once again. Nico instantly straightened. There was no way he was going to sit around while his best friend was in danger.</p><p>“Nico,” Hazel began. She gently grabbed his shoulder and gave him a look like she knew what he was doing.</p><p>“Do you know anything else about where Reyna was?” Nico questioned. He ignored Hazel. Frank glanced at his girlfriend. “I don't have all day, Zhang.”</p><p>“You should think about this,” Hazel began. Nico crossed his arms and glared. He waited a moment before nodding and turning away. “Where are you going?”</p><p>“I thought about it, and I am going,” Nico said. He started to walk away.</p><p>“How are you going to find out where to go?” Frank questioned. Nico didn't answer. He just disappeared into the shadows without a destination in mind.</p><p>Nico regretted his decision as soon as he fell out of the shadows and into the middle of a wedding. The bride and groom turned to look at him. They both stared angrily. Nico stared and slowly stood. There wasn't a huge party for the wedding, but it looked like a family gathering. The group on one side seemed to be glaring at the group on the other.</p><p>“I knew it!” a woman yelled as she stood. She had to be in fifties. Her features matched that of the gut standing at the altar, suggesting she was his mother. “I knew the little wench wasn't good enough. The heavens have sent a sign!”</p><p>“She's not good enough for him?” an elderly man demanded. Nico stared. He saw that one side of the room was wearing pink, and the other was wearing black. “He's not good enough for her!”</p><p>“Do you wanna fight old man?” an elderly woman from the groom's family asked. Nico stared tiredly. How did he manage to get himself into situations like this? The two families stood and started arguing.</p><p>No one seemed to be paying attention to Nico now. He took a step backwards. Then, he took another and another. Nico turned to exit what he assumed was a church. A frown came to his face as he saw that woman that sat in the back pew.</p><p>The woman had her legs propped up on the pew in front of her. She wore running shoes and shorts. Her jacket hood was thrown over her head. Was she a mutual friend of the two? Upon making eye contact with the woman, she motioned for Nico to come near. Nico knew he was going to regret it, but he walked towards the woman.</p><p>“I do love weddings,” the woman commented. She took a deep breath. “The smell of fighting is amazing.”</p><p>“Who are you?” Nico asked. He was sure this woman was a goddess, but she was like nothing he had ever seen. Instead of looking like a regal immortal, she looked like a runaway teenager. Her hood hid all of her features.</p><p>“Names don't matter,” the goddess said with a wave of her hand. Nico stood there for a moment. If he walked away, he risked making the goddess angry, but he would be able keep looking for Reyna. Could the goddess help him find Reyna though?</p><p>“Why are you here?” Nico slowly asked. He looked back at the family and saw they were now throwing wedding cake at each other.</p><p>“Honestly, you saved me the trouble of ruining this wedding,” the goddess said. She stood and motioned for Nico to follow. He slowly did. “You have no clue how tiresome it is boy. I do all this good work, and the prayers ruin it every time.”</p><p>“Who are you really?” Nico questioned. The goddess turned on him and crossed her arms.</p><p>“You are a son of Hades. That is wonderful,” the goddess commented. “You bring ruin wherever you go. I admire you.”</p><p>“I really have no clue who you are. I'm just trying to help find my friend,” Nico explained.</p><p>“The daughter of Bellona, correct?” the goddess questioned. Nico slowly nodded. The goddess smiled like a giddy child. “Oh, this is wonderful. I will help you find her.”</p><p>Nico frowned. While he hoped that the goddess would help him, he didn't think it would be this easy. There has to be some kind of catch involved. Gods and goddesses didn't just offer their help. He glanced at the goddess and spoke, “You want to help me. Why?”</p><p>“Your friend brings ruin wherever she is. You do too. I think we can be all good friends,” the goddess said. “I believe you asked my name. It is Ate.”</p><p>“Ate?” Nico repeated.</p><p>“Ate,” the goddess confirmed. Nico cleared his throat to keeping from laughing. It wouldn't do to become a pile of ash until he knew where Reyna was. Nico tried to focus on who Ate was, but he had never heard of her before.</p><p>“I assume you haven't heard of me,” Ate said. She seemed to smile. “That's fine. I was cast out of Olympus by my father. How was I suppose to know that my little joke would backfire.”</p><p>“Is it my fault that Zeus agreed that his next born son would become a powerful ruler? Is it my fault that Hera stalled the birth of the preferred Heracles to ensure that Eurystheus was born first?” Ate demanded. “The answer is no.”</p><p>“Olympus was boring at the time,” Ate continued. “It is my duty to make life more interesting. I guess everyone is right when they say no good deed go unpunished.”</p><p>“You took the blame,” Nico guessed. Ate nodded.</p><p>“Zeus kicked me out of Olympus. I'm not allowed to return!” Ate complained. “Good, old dad just had to add insult to injury. He has the Litaes follow me everywhere I go. Those jerks always undo the good work that I grace people with. They are just rude, but enough about me. You said you were looking for your friend, correct?”</p><p>“Do you know where she is?” Nico questioned. Ate studied him. Her screwed up in concentration, and after a moment, she nodded. “Where is she?”</p><p>“At the moment,” Ate began. She closed her eyes and started to hum. “Ouch. I believe she was just found. One slammed the hilt of their sword into her head. That is going to hurt.”</p><p>“What's happening?” Nico demanded. “What is going on with Reyna?”</p><p>Ate opened her eyes and looked at Nico. She spoke, “Your friend has run afoul of a small cult. The remnants of a cult to be exact. They somehow managed to capture Lupa, and one of them has now found the daughter of Bellona. I think it will be fun to go to.”</p><p>“You're coming with?” Nico questioned. This was really odd. A small frown came to his face. This felt like some kind of trap.</p><p>“I love fighting,” Ate said. She smiled brightly and held out a hand. “Shall we go?”</p><p>This was definitely a trap, and it was not going to end well. Or, Ate would want some kind of ridiculous payment that Nico couldn't get. Maybe, she was just insane. Nico took a deep breath and took Ate's hand. He spoke, “Let's go.”</p><p>“Close your eyes,” Ate ordered. Nico slowly did. He felt like he was spinning. When Nico opened his eyes, he saw that he was outside a building that looked like it belonged to a creepy cult. The building was painted completely black. Nico heard a noise and turned. He saw a cloaked figure standing over Reyna.</p><p>Nico didn't hesitate. He ran towards the figure and tackled them to the ground. Nico placed his sword to their neck. Beady eyes stared at him from under the shadows of a hood. The son of Hades covered their mouth before they could yell.</p><p>“Nico?” Reyna slowly asked. Nico turned his head. Reyna slowly sat up, but she looked disoriented. Blood was trickling down the side of her face.</p><p>“Reyna,” Nico greeted. He looked down at his captive and took off their hood. A woman glared at him. She had black hair and beady, brown eyes.</p><p>“Today is going to be fun,” Ate commented as she walked to their side. She grabbed Reyna's face and examined the gash. “Honestly, you Romans are given helmets. You, if you wore yours, wouldn't have a concussion.”</p><p>Nico looked back at Reyna. She was wearing black cargo pants and a black jacket, but it looked like she had armor underneath. Reyna slowly returned his gaze. She spoke, “We need to help Lupa.”</p><p>“She's in there?” Nico questioned. Reyna nodded once and looked at the woman. Nico glanced down at his captive and slowly removed his hand from her mouth.</p><p>“You!” the woman hissed as she looked at Reyna. “It was you and your two other friends.”</p><p>“I thought we killed you,” Reyna said calmly. “All of you.”</p><p>“Some escaped,” the woman taunted. “They are going to tear you apart when they find you.”</p><p>“If you and your friends are lucky, I'll kill you now. If you're not, you'll be left for Lupa,” Reyna threatened. She slowly stood. The woman glared, but there was a primal look of fear in her eyes.</p><p>Ate studied the three of them. She smiled and spoke, “I think I have a plan.”</p><p>“Who's this?” Reyna questioned. She looked at Ate and tried to stand. Reyna ended up sitting back down and closing her eyes tiredly.</p><p>“Ate. She's a goddess,” Nico explained. Reyna gave him a look. She rubbed her forehead and slowly made it to her feet. Reyna leaned on the wall.</p><p>“Keep her quiet,” Reyna muttered, and she studied the woman.</p><p>“Allow me,” Ate said. She walked towards the mortal and placed two fingers to her temple. The woman's eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she seemed to fall unconsciousness. Ate looked at them and smirked. “Now, we can just run in, or we can have more thought put into this plan. If the Roman is up for it.”</p><p>“I just want to rescue Lupa,” Reyna grumbled. She crossed her arms.</p><p>“You'll have to trust me,” Ate said. Reyna hesitated and glanced at Nico. He thought about it before nodding. The goddess had been helpful so far, if not a little odd. Reyna sighed and nodded as well.</p><p>Ate clapped her hands. She took off the woman's cloak. Nico stared as he saw the woman had been wearing a business suit like she had just come from a meeting.</p><p>“They are insane mortals who can see through the mist,” Reyna muttered. She closed her eyes tiredly. Nico stood and walked towards her</p><p>“Your concussion looks pretty bad,” Nico reported. He winced as he examined Reyna's head. He could see the blood started to dry from a deep gash in the side of her head.</p><p>“Which makes our plan easier,” Ate said. She put the robe on herself. “How do I look?”</p><p>“Like a creepy cultist,” Reyna muttered after opening her eyes. Ate frowned and took off the cloak. She snapped her fingers. Rope appeared in her hands.</p><p>“We need to get inside. Since I am not wearing that hideous garb, you'll just be my prisoner. I found you after you knocked out this poor, innocent mortal and wanted to join the weirdos. While we distract the other cultist, the son of Hades will untie the little puppy,” Ate said.</p><p>“You better be right about her,” Reyna whispered to Nico. He nodded. Reyna held her hands out in front of her for Ate. The goddess smirked and tied Reyna's wrist together.</p><p>“I'll be right behind you,” Nico promised. Reyna nodded. Ate shoved her forward. Reyna stumbled and glared back at the goddess.</p><p>“Sorry,” Ate said with a smile. “I'm just getting in character.”</p><p>Reyna muttered a curse in Latin. Ate led Reyna inside the building. Nico stayed by the door and watched the two walk inside. There was a small group of people gathered in a circle. Upon hearing the door open, they all turned to look at Reyna and Ate.</p><p>“You,” One of the woman snapped. She walked towards Reyna. The other four stayed back and just stared.</p><p>“I thought I left you underneath a burning pillar,” Reyna commented. The cultist raised his fist. Ate stepped in front of Reyna and gave the cultist a fist bump. The action was so odd that everyone froze.</p><p>The cultist said something in Latin. Nico couldn't understand it, but he was sure he would get his mouth washed out with soap for repeating it. Nico turned his head to look around for Lupa. He slipped into the building and was careful to close the door behind her.</p><p>The entire building was dimly lit. There was multiple large boxes and shelves everywhere. There was a large cage across from Nico, and it had golden bars. Nico could guess what, or who, was inside. Nico looked back at Ate.</p><p>“Speak English or Greek,” Ate commanded. “It is so unbecoming to speak Latin. Yes, I know that your little cult relied on speaking Greek and was destroyed. Today is a new day though.”</p><p>“Who are you?” the man demanded in Greek. Nico slowly edged around the multiple boxes and shelves in the room. He stared as he saw the cage.</p><p>Lupa was standing inside of the cage. There was not enough room to sit or lay down, and the cage was barely tall enough to fit Lupa inside. The gold bars had to be made of some goddess proof material because Lupa had yet to break through.</p><p>The part that made Nico the angriest was the muzzle that Lupa had. It was only there in an attempt to shame the goddess. Nico did his best to sneak over to the cage. Lupa watched him with one eye. Her red fur had golden ichor dried into it.</p><p>“I'll get you out of here,” Nico whispered. He glanced back at Reyna. His best friend was watching the cultist. Ate seemed like she was in the middle of talking.</p><p>“Really, I thought the downfall came because your second in command,” Ate continued. The man that had been speaking tilted his head. Nico guessed he was the leader. “He was so focused on his girlfriend. Was his head really in the game?”</p><p>“His head was in the game,” a woman snapped. She turned on the leader. “I thought we had moved on from this.”</p><p>Ate moved towards the woman. She grabbed her hand and examined it. “I love your nail polish. What kind is it?”</p><p>“What?” the woman demanded. Nico slowly moved to the lock of the cage. He pulled out the homemade kit that he had made for lockpicking. Nico went to work on picking the lock.</p><p>“Your nail polish,” Ate repeated. “I love the color. I love it as much as Sharon loved your boyfriend.”</p><p>“You what!” the woman yelled as she turned towards another woman. Nico glanced back. Despite the fact that the cultist could clearly see him, her focus was on another cultist who had to be Sharon.That could work.</p><p>“Hey, what is he doing?” another cultist questioned. They went to point towards Nico. Reyna grabbed their arm and threw them over her shoulder.</p><p>The last one tackled Reyna into a wall. Nico winced as he heard Reyna's head crack against the wall. Nico unsheathed his sword and tried to cut the lock. His sword bounced off.</p><p>Nico turned back towards the cultists. The one that Reyna had taken down was standing. He turned towards Nico. The rest of the cultists were too busy arguing.</p><p>“A little help?” Nico questioned as he looked at Ate. The goddess shrugged. Nico glared.</p><p>“I can't crush stupid mortals,” Ate said. She grunted. “Zeus can, but I can't. It's pretty stupid if you ask me.”</p><p>Nico ignored the goddess and looked around for the key. He saw it hanging off of the leader's belt. The leader paid no attention to him. The two girls were yelling at each other and fighting</p><p>“What are you two doing?” the leader yelled. He tried to get in between them. Nico looked at the fifth man who was focused solely on him. He had to be three times the size of Nico and was heading towards him. This wasn't going to be fun.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” the man demanded. Nico didn't answer. The man easily crossed the distance between them. He grabbed Nico and slammed him into the cage. “Are you involved in this animal trafficking?”</p><p>Nico stared at the man. He was watching Nico with his intense eyes. The son of Hades spoke, “Your friends kidnapped our wolf.”</p><p>The man looked up. Nico caught the sight of a gun by his side and then the badge. Holy Hades. He was a cop. Nico laid his head back and looked at the other cultist.</p><p>The two girls were still fighting. The leader was trying to pull them apart and having no luck. The other cult member had Reyna pinned. She wasn't moving and was probably unconscious. Ate was watching them calmly.</p><p>“How the hell did you get a permit for a wolf that big?” the cop whispered.</p><p>“Can we focus on helping my friend?” Nico asked. The cop nodded. He let go of Nico and grabbed his gun. He walked towards the cult members.</p><p>“What are all of you doing?” the cultist demanded. The cop suddenly raised his gun at the cultist.</p><p>“On your knees,” the cop ordered. “You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent.”</p><p>The cop never had time to finish his sentence. Ate slammed her elbow into the back of the cops head. Nico stared at her and spoke, “What are you doing?”</p><p>“I don't like cops,” Ate answered. “They're annoying really.”</p><p>“You said you couldn't hurt mortals,” Nico said. Ate shrugged. She caught the cultist fist before he could punch Nico.</p><p>“Leave the son of Hades alone,” Ate ordered. “I like him. I would also run because your two other friends are not going to stop fighting.”</p><p>The cultist glared, but he didn't run away. Ate sighed and snapped the cultist' arm like a twig. He howled in pain. Ate shoved the cultist to the ground. Nico stared at Ate. He could see the cruelness in the goddess' eyes. She was enjoying this. Nico forced himself to move to Reyna's side. He knelt by his best friend.</p><p>“Reyna, you have to wake up,” Nico begged. He fumbled in his pockets but found nothing. Nico gritted his teeth and looked up at Ate. The goddess walked towards the three remaining cultist and snapped her fingers. They all instantly collapsed.</p><p>Ate grabbed the key from the leader. She hummed and walked towards Lupa's cage. Nico stood and walked towards the cage. He spoke, “Give me the key.”</p><p>“You are so demanding,” Ate commented. She tossed Nico the key. He caught it and turned towards the cage. Lupa was watching him with angry eyes.</p><p>Nico opened the lock on the cage. He took off the chains that were keeping the door locked. Lupa stepped out of the cage and looked at Nico. He slowly took the muzzle off.</p><p>“Lupa, what a surprise!” Ate exclaimed. She looked at Lupa and smiled. The Roman goddess growled angrily. It shook the room. Ate raised her hands and backed up.</p><p>Lupa walked towards Reyna. She growled lowly. Nico risked walking towards the goddess. He thought that the look on Lupa's face was because she was angry at Reyna, but he realized it was concern.</p><p>“<em>Pup</em>,” Lupa muttered. She laid by Reyna's side. Nico knelt by Reyna and gently cradled her head.</p><p>Nico glanced at Lupa. He had no clue what to say to her. The goddess watched him in silence. Ate was the one who broke the silence, “We should go out for a drink.”</p><p>“<em>Leave</em>,” Lupa ordered as she glared at Ate.</p><p>“I am hurt,” Ate said. She put a hand to her heart and looked offended. “I helped your little Roman. Do I even get a thanks?”</p><p>“<em>You did this for your own gain,</em>” Lupa growled. “<em>You bring destruction and ruin wherever you go. I will not have these two become affected by you</em>.”</p><p>“Fine,” Ate huffed. She held her hands up and backed away. Lupa watched her go. Nico glanced back down at Reyna. He silently pleaded for her to open her eyes.</p><p>Nico considered the problem in front of him. He wasn't strong enough to lift Reyna up and carry her. He was about to shadow travel when Lupa looked at him. She spoke, “<em>Save your strength</em>.”</p><p>“<em>You will wait for the cop to wake up</em>,” Lupa ordered. Nico nodded silently. “<em>He will call for backup and an ambulance. He is a mortal who can see through the mist. You will explain what has happened here and make him an ally, understood?</em>”</p><p>“Yes,” Nico answered.</p><p>“<em>Be aware of Ate</em>,” Lupa warned. “<em>She only seeks to destroy. Her help has come with a price</em>.”</p><p>“I know,” Nico muttered. He didn't regret it though. Ate had allowed him to get to Reyna. There was no telling what would have happened if he didn't arrive when he had. Nico sighed and forced himself to forget about the possible consequences of his actions.</p><p>Lupa stood and walked out of the building. Nico glanced back at Reyna. She was staring to stir. There was nothing for him to do now other than wait.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Diana's Offer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How do we keep getting stuck in these positions?” Reyna questioned. She looked at Nico. It was hard to read his expression, since his hair covered his face. He seemed exhausted and maybe a little guilty. Both of them were hanging upside down. “You need a haircut.”</p>
<p>“You always say that,” Nico groaned. Reyna did her best to shrug. She sighed sadly. With her concussion, it would be hard to pull herself up without getting nauseous.</p>
<p>Reyna only remembered bits and pieces of what had happened. There was the cult, and after that, Nico had taken her to the hospital with a mortal. They tried to explain to the police officer what had happened, and he called them crazy. Then, he had tasered Nico.</p>
<p>While it was funny now, Reyna had seen red when it happened. She broke the cop's arm and threatened him if he told anyone the truth about what had happened. They then had to rush and shadow travel out of there.</p>
<p>“I'm glad you were able to get your clothes on before we left,” Nico joked. Reyna grunted and closed her eyes. They had stumbled right out of the shadows and into a trap. The trap was the reason that they were hanging upside down.</p>
<p>“This has never happened to me before,” Nico commented. He tried to pull himself up but looked like he was struggling to even grab the ropes.</p>
<p>“Would I die if I vomited in this position?” Reyna questioned. She closed her eyes and swallowed painfully. Blood was rushing to her head which made her feel even sicker. The sound of footsteps is what made Reyna open her eyes.</p>
<p>An arrow tore through the rope that kept her suspended. Reyna barely had time to cover her head as she hit the ground. She slowly uncovered her head and looked up.</p>
<p>“It's been a long time Roman,” a woman commented. She had silver eyes and brown hair. The woman wore a hunting vest made of animal skin and camouflage pants. “Who's your friend?”</p>
<p>“Leave him alone,” Reyna ordered. She stood and stumbled. It took a moment for the world to stop spinning. Reyna grabbed her sword and cut the rope that held Nico up.</p>
<p>Nico groaned as he hit the ground. Reyna helped him stand. She turned back towards the woman who was studying her hatefully.</p>
<p>“Who is that?” Nico whispered. Reyna didn't answer for a few moments. She was trying to keep her focus and watch the woman for any sudden movements.</p>
<p>“Bendis,” Reyna answered. She looked at Nico. “Leave.”</p>
<p>“No,” Nico protested. Reyna glanced back at Bendis who just watched them. She glanced back at Nico. “That woman is a goddess. A Thracian goddess.”</p>
<p>Nico tilted his head confused. Reyna gritted her teeth. She spoke, “Thracian gods and goddesses have mostly faded away. Those that haven't like to hunt prominent Roman demigods. You are not getting caught in the middle of this, so you need to leave.”</p>
<p>The son of Hades shook his head. He was as stubborn as she was, but Reyna was not going to allow him to be hurt. She shoved him away.</p>
<p>“I have no problem leaving the Greek alive,” Bendis commented. “Of course, that will be after I maim him. Then, I can turn my attention back to you.”</p>
<p>“You are not going to touch her, or I will destroy you,” Nico warned. Bendis laughed like his threat amused her.</p>
<p>“Nico, there is one place we can go,” Reyna whispered. He was going to kill her. Nico nodded. Reyna swallowed painfully. “The Hunters of Artemis.”</p>
<p>Before Nico could respond, an arrow flew past their faces. Nico grabbed Reyna's arm. To her surprise, he took off running instead of shadow traveling. Reyna ran behind him. An arrow flew by her head, almost skewering her ear.</p>
<p>“I know where they are,” Nico grumbled. He shoved Reyna into the shadows suddenly. She closed her eyes tightly until she felt herself hit solid ground. It took a few moments for the effects to subside.</p>
<p>Reyna slowly opened her eyes. She found ten arrows aimed at her and Nico. Great. Reyna held her hands up and spoke, “Wait.”</p>
<p>Nico remained silent. He just watched the Hunters in anger. Reyna sat up and placed a hand to the back of her head. She saw Thalia Grace walk towards them.</p>
<p>“Lower your bows,” Thalia ordered. The Hunters did as they were told. Thalia helped Reyna stand and gave her the nod. The two had no time to talk after Orion's attack.</p>
<p>Thalia turned to help Nico stand. He just glared at her angrily and stood on his own. Nico shoved past Thalia and walked away from the camp.</p>
<p>“I'm sorry for dropping in,” Reyna said. She closed her eyes for a moment. “We stumbled into a trap set by Bendis.”</p>
<p>“Who?” Thalia questioned. She led Reyna towards a campfire. It took a moment for Reyna to look at her surroundings. The Hunters were moving to sit back around the fire. Tents surrounded them on all sides. Now that things were calm, the Hunters were studying Reyna.</p>
<p>“She's a Thracian goddess. The people back in Thrace mixed up with the Greeks back in the day, and some of the Greeks adopted the Thracian gods and goddesses. Bendis is an equivalent to Diana,” Reyna explained.</p>
<p>“There are only a few Thracian gods and goddesses left. They hate the Romans because we left them without followers. There was a cult dedicated to them that the Romans destroyed. Bendis is dedicated to hunting down prominent Roman demigods,” Reyna continued.</p>
<p>Thalia nodded. She sat Reyna down. Reyna closed her eyes tiredly. She sat there for a few moments before opening her eyes and looking for Nico. He was standing off by himself.</p>
<p>The Hunters completely ignored him. Reyna knew that they didn't like men. Some even hated them. Nico hated the Hunters. It was the perfect match.</p>
<p>“Diana counteracts Bendis. She would never dare mess with her,” Reyna explained. Thalia sat by her. “Is Diana here?”</p>
<p>Thalia nodded as a twelve year old walked out of a tent. She was followed by a fourteen year old who had a smile on her face. Reyna could only guess it was a new recruit.</p>
<p>The goddess turned and walked towards her. There was something in her eyes. A small smile came to the goddess' face. It was the smile of a salesman. Reyna resisted the urge to drop her face into her hands. She was not in the mood.</p>
<p>“How are you praetor?” Diana questioned. She sat in front of the fire. Reyna watched her for a moment.</p>
<p>“I'm okay. We had to come here to escape Bendis,” Reyna responded. She rubbed her forehead. “I'm sorry if we have intruded on anything.”</p>
<p>“You are fine,” Diana promised. Her eyes moved to Nico. “The boy is a different story.”</p>
<p>Reyna nodded. She had expected that. Reyna waited in silence for what she knew Diana was going to say.</p>
<p>“We would like to invite you to join the Hunters,” Thalia began. Reyna glanced at her. “You would gain immortality. All that you have to do is swear off love.”</p>
<p>“You don't have to join immediately,” Diana added. “I know that you enjoy your praetorship. I am willing to allow you to finish out the year before you join. We could use a good Roman like you. I also know how men have hurt you.”</p>
<p>Reyna's gaze instantly shot to Diana's face. She could feel her eyes narrowing into a glare. Diana watched her calmly. Reyna finally looked away.</p>
<p>“First, it was your father,” Diana continued. “Then, you thought that you fell in love with Jason Grace. Instead of returning your feelings, he disappears and returns with a girlfriend. He showed her off in front of you.”</p>
<p>“Thanks for the rundown,” Reyna interrupted. She looked down and closed her eyes. It was true, unfortunately. And, the immortality thing didn't sound so bad. Reyna sighed and glanced up. She caught Nico's eyes. He was staring at her. Reyna instantly stood and moved to his side.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” Nico demanded. His hands were balled up into a fist. There was pure hate in his eyes. “You know how I feel about them!”</p>
<p>“Diana brought up the idea of me joining the Hunters,” Reyna explained. “I never answered her.”</p>
<p>“You're thinking about it,” Nico accused. Reyna didn't respond. In fact, she looked away. Nico stared. “You are!”</p>
<p>“It doesn't seem like a bad idea,” Reyna admitted. “It has its benefits.”</p>
<p>Nico stared at her. He was shaking from rage. Reyna spoke, “Nico, she's just offering.”</p>
<p>“You don't understand!” Nico yelled suddenly. He turned towards the shadows. Reyna tried to grab his arm.</p>
<p>“I don't understand” Reyna said quickly. “You never told me what happened to Bianca. I know she was a Hunter, but I respected you enough to wait for you to talk to me about her.”</p>
<p>“Don't say her name,!” Nico yelled. Reyna looked down and bit back a sigh. She held her hands up.</p>
<p>“Nico,” Reyna began. Nico glared at her angrily. “You shouldn't shadow travel anymore. Just stop and relax.”</p>
<p>“I already lost one sister to the Hunters,” Nico snapped. “I don't need to lose another.”</p>
<p>Reyna stared as Nico disappeared into the shadows. She stood there for a few moments until Thalia placed a hand to her shoulder. Reyna slowly looked at her.</p>
<p>“You should get some rest,” Thalia whispered. Reyna didn't respond. She felt the grip on her shoulder tighten. “We can get you some food.”</p>
<p>Reyna didn't protest. She was still in shock. Thalia led her back towards Diana. Reyna sat down and looked at the goddess.</p>
<p>“You don't have to accept the offer now,” Diana began. “It's always open.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Reyna muttered. She stared into fire. Reyna just wanted to find Nico and talk to him.</p>
<p>“How did Bendis attack you?” Diana questioned. Reyna told her the story as she stared into the fire. She just wanted to find Nico. Reyna sighed and closed her eyes as she realized how badly she had screwed up.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Devil's Sinkhole</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reyna groaned as she felt a buzz in her pocket. She slowly moved her right hand to answer her phone. It was a disposable one that she was going to throw away after her vacation was over. Monsters wouldn't swarm her current location, so she was willing to take the chance. Reyna spoke, “Who is it?”</p>
<p>“It's Annabeth,” the voice on the other end answered. Right. It was the only person that Reyna had given the number too. Annabeth also did not sound happy “Where are you?”</p>
<p>“Just hanging around,” Reyna muttered. She fixed her blue tooth before looking down. Reyna kept climbing down and gritted her teeth. “Has anyone seen Nico?”</p>
<p>“We think he went to the Underworld,” Annabeth responded. Reyna grunted. She had been expecting it. Nico had disappeared ever since he fled from the Hunter's camp. No one had seen him for two days.</p>
<p>“Anything else?” Reyna questioned. She grabbed onto another piece of the cavern wall. Reyna silently continued to climb down. If she slipped, there was nothing protecting her from breaking bones.</p>
<p>“Where are you?” Annabeth asked. Reyna didn't respond for a few moments. She looked down to see she only had twenty more feet to climb down until she made it to the wooden platform. Her eyes focused on the standard in the middle of a pile of skeletons.</p>
<p>“Texas,” Reyna answered. She focused on climbing down the rest of the cavern wall. When she made it to the platform, she jumped down from the wall. “I'm going to find Nico.”</p>
<p>“How?” Annabeth questioned. She sounded suspicious. Reyna didn't respond as she sighed tiredly. “Reyna.”</p>
<p>“I'm going to the Underworld,” Reyna responded. She leaned on the cavern wall. Her arms burned from how much she had climbed. She still needed to climb back up.</p>
<p>“You're what?” Annabeth demanded. “Is that why you stole Blackjack?”</p>
<p>“Borrowed,” Reyna corrected. She shined her flashlight through the dark cavern. It seemed like someone had just built a wooden walkway halfway down, as she didn't think this was the bottom of the sinkhole. “I plan on returning him.”</p>
<p>“Percy was throwing a fit,” Annabeth said. “How are you even going to get into the Underworld?”</p>
<p>Reyna took a few moments to steady her breathing. She looked around at the skeletons. They all wore older, Roman armor, but it would still do. They could melt down the armor and do whatever they needed with it. All of them had Imperial Gold weapons.</p>
<p>“A long time ago, Pluto had a small cohort that was made up of his children and other demigods who had won his respect. They were pretty highly skilled,” Reyna explained. She crouched down tiredly. “Pluto angered Neptune one day. I think it was some petty argument about how Neptune's kids were always screwing up and were the reason there was so many wars.”</p>
<p>“Poseidon didn't take kindly to that,” Annabeth guessed. She sounded distracted. “I don't know when you'll get Blackjack back.”</p>
<p>“Percy bothering you?” Reyna asked. The only response she received was a noise that implied Annabeth's mouth was busy. Reyna rolled her eyes and looked around the cavern that she was in.</p>
<p>It was more of a sinkhole: the Devil's Sinkhole to be exact. It earned the name when Pluto's children had been lost in it. Native Americans knew the site was sacred, but they didn't know the exact reason why and had made up their own stories. The only one who knew the truth was the Romans.</p>
<p>Reyna focused on the standard. It was black and had an eagle in the middle of it. The standard itself was tattered and dusty but held some kind of latent power. Reyna studied it and took a deep breath. If she could get this standard, she would have an excuse to go to the Underworld and apologize to Nico about what had happened.</p>
<p>“Are you still there?” Annabeth asked. She sounded less busy. Reyna grunted tiredly. The praetor rubbed her aching muscles and then slowly stood. “What happened to the cohort?”</p>
<p>“While the cohort was out on a mission, Neptune created an earthquake. It opened up the world's largest sinkhole,” Reyna explained. “When I get the standard back, I can return it to Pluto and talk to Nico.”</p>
<p>“Do you think it will work?” Annabeth questioned. Reyna glanced up at the cavern. She closed her eyes tiredly. Her plan had to work. The reason no one went to the cavern was because they were scared of incurring Pluto's wrath for disturbing the bodies of his cohort or incurring the wrath of Neptune for not letting his act stay buried.</p>
<p>“I hope,” Reyna answered. She carefully stepped over a skeleton and moved closer to the standard. “Can you do me a favor and send a message to Frank? There are weapons and armor here that we can collect.”</p>
<p>“I will,” Annabeth promised. “How much more vacation time do you have? You do get vacation time, right?”</p>
<p>Reyna focused on stepping over another skeleton. She knelt by the standard and grabbed it. Reyna spoke, “I have time left. Why?”</p>
<p>“Piper and I want to have a girl's night out, and we wanted to invite you,” Annabeth replied. Reyna gently adjusted her grip on the standard. She pulled it out of the skeleton's grasp. A creaking sound caught her attention.</p>
<p>Reyna glanced down and saw cracks in the wood. The wood started to crack more, and Reyna tried to scramble away. The wood under her feet suddenly disappeared, and Reyna fell through the platform. An attempt to grab the platform failed, and she slammed onto something solid.</p>
<p>Pain shot through Reyna's ankle as she collapsed. She slowly rolled onto her back and groaned in pain. Her flashlight had fallen out of her hand, and she could see it rolling away. It looked like Reyna had landed on another platform. Hopefully this one was a little sturdier.</p>
<p>“Reyna, are you there? Are you hurt?” Annabeth asked. Reyna blinked a few times and watched skeletons and weapons fall from the hole above her and hit the platform she was laying on. Reyna scrambled away and grabbed her flashlight.</p>
<p>“I hear you,” Reyna said. She rested her back against the cavern wall and groaned. The fall had definitely aggravated her concussion.</p>
<p>“What happened?” Annabeth asked. She sounded concerned. “Are you okay?”</p>
<p>Reyna was about to tell Annabeth that she was fine. Then, she hesitated. If Nico thought she was hurt, would he go to help her? Reyna slowly spoke, “I think I hurt my ankle.”</p>
<p>Her ankle did hurt, but it was probably just a sprain. She could tell it wasn't broken, and it wasn't the worst pain that she had ever been in. Annabeth didn't need to know that though.</p>
<p>“Just stay calm and relax,” Annabeth said. “I'll get you help.”</p>
<p>“I won't move a muscle,” Reyna said. She slowly stood and walked around. While her ankle ached, it wasn't going to stop her from climbing back up. Her concussion was another matter. Reyna frowned. The difficult part would be climbing back up the wall and somehow getting through the first platform that she had fallen in. Then, she would have to climb up the rest of the cavern and make it outside.</p>
<p>Reyna wanted to fly Blackjack directly into the sinkhole, but he wouldn't go within a few miles of it. She had been forced to walk and then climb down the cavern wall. Was it reckless? Just a little bit. Things would be fine though.</p>
<p>“What's your plan, Annabeth?” Reyna asked. She waited for a response and didn't get one. Reyna glanced at the disposable phone and saw that Annabeth had hung up. Didn't mortals say goodbye before hanging up? What was Annabeth's problem?</p>
<p>“Reyna,” a voice said. Reyna jumped and looked at the Iris message in front of her. She shined her light at it, and Nico winced. Reyna moved the flashlight enough for her to be visible. “Annabeth told me you were in trouble.”</p>
<p>“I'm stuck,” Reyna lied, which may not have been a lie. She wasn't quite sure how to get through the platform just yet, but she would figure it out. Reyna focused on Nico's voice. He almost sounded guilty. “I was trying to retrieve a standard that belonged to a cohort that represented your father, so I could talk to you.”</p>
<p>“I don't want to talk,” Nico grumbled.</p>
<p>“I know you don't want to talk. All you have to do is listen,” Reyna said. “I know you're still mad that I talked to Diana and listened to her offer. I shouldn't have done it, and I'm sorry.”</p>
<p>“You don't get it,” Nico muttered, and he crossed his arms. Reyna watched him carefully for any sudden movements. She did not want him to end the Iris message.</p>
<p>“What do I not get?” Reyna asked. She tried to keep her voice calm, but she gripped the flashlight tightly.</p>
<p>“Bianca barely knew the Hunters of Artemis, but she just left me to go join them. My older sister, my only family, left me at Camp Half-Blood with strangers! You don't understand how that feels,” Nico snapped. A bitter smile came to Reyna's face.</p>
<p>“You're right,” Reyna said. She met Nico's eyes. “I don't understand what it is like for my older sister to leave me for some group that she had just met and only knew a little about. I don't understand what it is like for my older sister to leave me at some camp that is dedicated to protecting demigods from monsters.”</p>
<p>“But,” Reyna continued. She couldn't keep the anger out of her voice. “I do understand what it is like for my older sister to leave me for a group that she didn't even know how to find. I understand what it is like for my older sister to just leave me on the damn streets to fend for myself.”</p>
<p>Nico didn't respond. Reyna put her flashlight back in on its holder. She had hoped that Annabeth would get in contact with Nico, and he would message Reyna. Then, they would work things out. This wasn't how she imagined it going though.</p>
<p>“Where are you at?” Nico asked after a moment.</p>
<p>“It doesn't matter,” Reyna answered. She grabbed the climbing axes that were in her backpack. Reyna had hoped not to use them because she was unsure of how the wall would react.</p>
<p>“Reyna, I'm sorry,” Nico muttered after a moment. “I just lost my temper.”</p>
<p>Reyna hesitated. Then, she looked down. Reyna knew exactly how she was when she lost her temper. She spoke, “It's okay. I'm sorry for talking to Diana.”</p>
<p>“I forgive you,” Nico said. He studied her and then frowned. “Why are you standing on a broken ankle?”</p>
<p>“I lied,” Reyna answered. “I figured Annabeth would message you, and you would Iris message me. I'm sorry for lying, but I didn't know how else to get in contact with you.”</p>
<p>“Where are you at?” Nico questioned. He didn't seem upset. Reyna almost let out a sigh of relief.</p>
<p>“Devil's sinkhole,” Reyna answered. She winced in pain as she looked up. “I was going to climb, but I don't think my concussion is going to do me any favors.”</p>
<p>“I'll be there soon,” Nico promised. He ran a hand through the Iris message. Reyna sighed and leaned against the cavern wall. She placed her climbing axes back into her backpack. Reyna closed her eyes tightly.</p>
<p>After a minute, Reyna felt the temperature drop. She looked up and watched Nico fall in front of her. Reyna stepped forward, and Nico fell onto the platform. The wood beneath them cracked, and the platform fell out from underneath them.</p>
<p>A curse was torn from Reyna's mouth as she hit water. The cold sent a shock through her system. Reyna slowly looked up. This was the second platform that she had fallen through, and she really hoped there wasn't a third one underneath all of the water. Reyna spoke, “Nico. Are you hurt?”</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Nico answered. It sounded like he was swimming, but it was too hard to see. Her flashlight had been lost in the second fall.</p>
<p>“How did you manage to break the platform when you fell. You weigh like a hundred pound,” Reyna said. She smiled as water splashed into her face. “Can you shadow travel out of here?”</p>
<p>“I can,” Nico sad. He gently grabbed her arm. Reyna glanced up. The weapons, armor, and bits of skeletons were now scattered on two different platforms and in the water. Maybe, they wouldn't collect those weapons and armor after all. “Should we go back to Camp Jupiter or Camp Half-Blood?”</p>
<p>“Either one. Then, we should get some food,” Reyna said. She closed her eyes and smiled slightly. It seemed like Nico was no longer upset at her, which is all she cared about, even if it hadn't turned out the way she imagined. All that mattered was that they were not mad at each other.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. The Flu</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nico only waited a minute till he walked into Reyna's house. She usually answered within thirty seconds of someone knocking, or Aurum and Argentum would start clawing at the door. None of that happened, so Nico needed to investigate.</p>
<p>“Reyna!” Nico called. He could see paperwork spread out on a table near the couch. There was a half eaten sandwich on the table along with an unopened soda. Fear and paranoia tore through Nico.</p>
<p>Nico closed the front door and unsheathed his sword. He looked around and slowly walked towards Reyna's room. Nico opened the door to Reyna's room and waited for a few moments. He stepped inside.</p>
<p>His attention moved to Reyna. She was curled up on her side. Despite the blanket that she had wrapped around herself, Reyna was clearly shivering.</p>
<p>Nico ran to Reyna's side. His first thought was that Reyna had been poisoned. He placed a hand to her shoulder about to shadow travel to Camp Half-Blood and Will. That was when he realized that the praetor was nowhere near death.</p>
<p>“Are you awake?” Nico whispered. Reyna didn't respond. Her bangs were matted to her head from how much she was sweating. Nico stood there unsure of what to do.</p>
<p>Nico remembered that Reyna had been complaining about a sore throat a few days before. That should have tipped Nico off. Reyna never complained about being sick. He could only guess there was something worse that was wrong with her.</p>
<p>If there was one thing Nico knew, it was that Reyna did not get sick often. She just had a naturally strong immune system. When Reyna did get sick though, it was bad.</p>
<p>Reyna had a coughing fit, and her eyes slowly opened. She looked around and focused on Nico. Reyna spoke, “What time is it?”</p>
<p>“Nine in the morning,” Nico answered. Reyna tried to sit up. Nico pushed her back down and sat on her chest.</p>
<p>“Get off,” Reyna groaned. She really had to be sick if she wasn't just shoving Nico off of her. Nico took the time to examine Reyna.</p>
<p>Reyna was wearing a purple shirt and white shorts. Her hair was still in a braid. It seemed like the sickness had hit her the night before. Nico looked behind him and saw that a black shirt and black shorts were on the bed.</p>
<p>Reyna always took two showers. One was in the morning, and the other was right before she went to bed. Reyna wore clothes to bed in case there was an attack on the camp. There was no way she would look undignified by rushing to a midnight Senate meeting in pajamas.</p>
<p>“How do you feel?” Nico questioned. Reyna shivered again and didn't answer. Nico watched her concerned.</p>
<p>“I think I have the flu,” Reyna said. Another cough wracked her body. Nico moved off of Reyna's chest and sat by her. “It's been going around.”</p>
<p>“I'm playing nurse,” Nico decided. Reyna groaned and tried to sit up once again. Nico wrapped an arm around her and laid her back on the bed. She didn't even possess the strength to fight him. “Promise me that you will stay in bed and not move.”</p>
<p>Reyna groaned and didn't let out a response. Nico knew her too well. As soon as he turned his back, Reyna would try to get out of bed. Nico decided the bed thing to do would be to stay by her and make sure that she didn't move. After a few moments, Reyna spoke in a raspy voice, “Drink?'</p>
<p>“Of course,” Nico said. He stood, and Reyna turned on her side. A small groan escaped her. “Do you want anything to eat?”</p>
<p>“I feel like I'm going to vomit,” Reyna answered. She shivered again. “I need the notebook on my table.”</p>
<p>“No paperwork,” Nico ordered. Reyna shook her head. She buried her face into the pillow. After a few moments, Reyna looked up at him.</p>
<p>“It's a letter to Hylla,” Reyna explained. Nico nodded after a moment. He walked out of the room. After this, he would have to message Will. Nico really didn't know how to deal with the flu.</p>
<p>Nico walked towards the kitchen and opened the fridge. He saw juice and cans of soda inside. Nico wanted to know who Reyna had killed to get the soda. Nico grabbed the juice and poured some in a glass. Then, he put the juice away and closed the fridge.</p>
<p>On his way back to Reyna's room, Nico grabbed the notebook. He walked back into the room and saw that Reyna was now lying on the floor. Nico sighed and set the cup and notebook down. He pulled Reyna to her feet and helped her lay back on the bed. Nico spoke, “Did you get up?”</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna lied. She laid her head on Nico's chest. He rubbed her back and laid her on the bed. Reyna curled up tiredly and pulled Nico close. A noise of surprise escaped Nico, and he tried to pull away.</p>
<p>Even though she was sick, Reyna had an iron grip. She was still shaking miserably. Nico tried to twist out of her grip. It didn't work. After a minute of struggling, Nico was able to escape because Reyna was no longer interested in using him as a teddy bear.</p>
<p>“You're burning up,” Nico commented as he touched Reyna's head. Aurum moved to his side and licked Reyna's face with his metal tongue. She groaned and mumbled something.</p>
<p>“It's freezing,” Reyna mumbled in a barely audible voice. She shivered once again. Nico grabbed her blanket which had fallen to the floor when she had stood. </p>
<p>Aurum laid next to Reyna. His back was against hers. Argentum moved to lay near Reyna's other side. She laid her head against Argentum's back. Nico smiled and laid the blanket over them.</p>
<p>“Is there no room for me?” Nico teased. Reyna mumbled something in Spanish. Nico raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What was that?”</p>
<p>“Letter,” Reyna mumbled in English before she switched back to Spanish. She looked ready to fall asleep. Nico grabbed the notebook and carefully tore the paper out.</p>
<p>Nico really tried to not look at the paper. He didn't want to invade Reyna's privacy. Then, he saw Bianca's name. Nico glanced at Reyna and placed the notebook down. He waited.</p>
<p>Even though she was sick, Reyna followed her nightly ritual. She would start out on her back before turning on her right side. Reyna then usually turned on her left side, or she would just lay on her stomach. One hand would go under the pillow to grip the dagger underneath the pillow.</p>
<p>It only took three minutes for Reyna to fully fall asleep. She looked peaceful. Nico instantly went back to the letter and grabbed it.</p>
<p>“I went to the Devil's sinkhole,” Nico read. He skipped a few sentences ahead. “Nico was mad because I listened to Diana's offer. He lost his sister Bianca after she joined the Hunters.”</p>
<p>Nico forced himself to look up. He shouldn't be invading Reyna's privacy. Nico decided to look at the bottom of the letter just to see if Reyna had finished the letter. If she didn't, he would add a note telling Hylla what had happened.</p>
<p>“I have Nico's surprise party all planned,” Nico read. His eyes widened. How did Reyna know? She would have had to kill someone to get her hands on the date of his birthday. Nico looked at the next sentence which was only half of a sentence.</p>
<p>Nico grabbed a pen. He placed the paper down on the bedside table. Nico spoke as he wrote, “Hylla, this is Nico. Reyna is dealing with the flu, so I am finishing this letter for her. I'll make sure she sends you an Iris message when she is feeling better.”</p>
<p>The son of Hades looked at Reyna. She was completely asleep. Nico folded up the letter and walked out of the room. He left Reyna's house and walked towards Frank's.</p>
<p>Before he could knock on the door, it opened. Hazel stared at him before smiling and hugging him tightly. Nico hugged her back.</p>
<p>“Hey Nico,” Frank greeted as he stepped out of his house. “Has Reyna given you an invite to the ball?”</p>
<p>“No,” Nico answered. He had just assumed that a Greek wouldn't be allowed to attend. “When is it?”</p>
<p>“Next week,” Hazel answered. Nico nodded and forced himself to focus. He gripped the letter.</p>
<p>“Reyna is sick,” Nico said. “She has the flu.”</p>
<p>Frank nodded lime he expected it. He looked concerned. Frank spoke, “Can you make sure she rests?”</p>
<p>“I will,” Nico promised. He held the piece of paper up. “I need to deliver this to Hylla.”</p>
<p>Frank whistled. Nico jumped as something landed on his arm. It was an eagle that had a one eye missing. The eagle looked terrifying mostly because it had blood around its beak.</p>
<p>“Amazons. Queen Hylla,” Frank said to the eagle. He pulled out a treat from his pocket and tossed it to the eagle. It grabbed it with its beak and ate it.</p>
<p>The eagle grabbed the letter from Nico's hand and took off. Nico watched it go. Would it be possible for him to get a messenger eagle? He looked at Hazel and Frank.</p>
<p>“Do you guys know what it happening two weeks from now?” Nico questioned. Hazel frowned and shook her head. They didn't seem to know. Nico barely stopped from smiling. They had no clue his birthday was approaching.</p>
<p>“I better get back to Reyna,” Nico said. Hazel nodded.</p>
<p>“I'll stop by after I inform the Senate,” Frank promised. “My grandma taught me a recipe that works great with the flu.”</p>
<p>Frank looked down as he seemed to remember his grandma. Hazel squeezed his arm. Frank cleared his throat and nodded to Nico. The son of Hades nodded back and turned away.</p>
<p>Nico walked back into Reyna's house. He heard Aurum whimper. Nico was in Reyna's room within two seconds. He looked around.</p>
<p>Reyna was still laying on her stomach, but she was muttering words in Spanish. It only took Nico a few moments to realize she was having a nightmare. He moved to Reyna's side and gently touched her arm.</p>
<p>“Wake up,” Nico whispered. He gently shook his friend's shoulder. Reyna tensed and turned on her side. Aurum laid his head on Reyna's side. He whimpered again.</p>
<p>“You need help,” Nico commented. He rubbed Aurum's head to try and calm him down. Argentum was staring down at Reyna. If dogs could look concerned, these two did.</p>
<p>Nico gently shook Reyna's shoulder. He felt a hand grab his shirt, and Nico was thrown on top of Argentum. The dog yelped.</p>
<p>Nico gasped as he felt a dagger against his neck. He spoke, “It's me! Reyna, it's Nico.”</p>
<p>Reyna looked down at him in confusion. She closed her eyes tightly and reopened them. Reyna didn't remove the dagger from Nico's neck.</p>
<p>“Nico?” Reyna slowly questioned. She dug the dagger into his neck as if she was scared he wasn't real. Nico was about to nod, but he realized how bad of an idea that was.</p>
<p>“I'm here,” Nico promised. Reyna removed the dagger. She laid on her bed and looked everywhere but Nico's face. The son of Hades gently touched her tense arms. “Are you okay?”</p>
<p>“It's fine,” Reyna answered. She looked shaken up. Nico stood and grabbed the cup of juice. He handed it to Reyna.</p>
<p>Reyna slowly grabbed it. She took a small sip and swallowed painfully. Reyna wiped her forehead. Nico quietly waited for her to speak.</p>
<p>Reyna gently rubbed Argentum's back and spoke in Latin. She laid against the wall. Nico spoke, “I sent the letter to Hylla. Frank said he had a soup recipe for you.”</p>
<p>“Frank makes good food,” Reyna mumbled. She looked absolutely exhausted. Reyna seemed to have gotten over her nightmare, or she had just shoved it aside to avoid thinking about it.</p>
<p>“Maybe, you should lay down,” Nico suggested. Reyna shook her head. Nico stood and grabbed a blanket. “Come on.”</p>
<p>Reyna looked up in confusion. She slowly stood and stumbled. Nico quickly steadied her. He helped her walk to the living room.</p>
<p>Nico sat Reyna down on the couch. He wrapped the blanket around her and sat by her. Reyna leaned on him tiredly.</p>
<p>“What do you want to watch?” Nico questioned. He could feel Reyna shrug. Nico smiled and gently pulled away. He stood and walked towards the DVD player that was near a small television.</p>
<p>Nico grabbed a random DVD and shoved it in. He turned the television on and fumbled with it for a few moments. Nico walked back towards Reyna and sat by her. Reyna leaned on him again.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Reyna whispered softly. Her eyes closed.</p>
<p>“You would do the same for me,” Nico whispered. Reyna nodded her agreement. She relaxed and seemed to fall asleep before Nico could even turn the movie on. He made himself more comfortable and turned the movie on. Nico glanced at Reyna and smiled at her. He held his best friend close and watched the movie.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Demigod Ball</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nico was impressed, yet he was also disappointed. When he heard the word ball, he expected the stereotypical dressing up and a huge party that had dancing in it. Everyone was suppose to be dressed all fancy The Romans did not think that. Everyone around Nico looked like they had just finished with an evening stroll.</p>
<p>The retired members of the legion all wore togas. Everyone seemed to have a a varying color. Hazel tried to explain what the different colors meant, but at the fifth different shade of red, Hazel seemed just as confused as him. Regular legionaries wore their armor under their togas.</p>
<p>While a dance floor had been set up in the middle of the streets of New Rome, everyone was busy talking. Probatios were running around serving drinks and food. It was wine for the retired legionaries and soda for the rest of them.</p>
<p>Nico sighed and looked around for Reyna. She wasn't entirely over her flu, but she had been working herself hard to get everything together for the ball. A frown came to his face as he didn't see her.</p>
<p>“Frank isn't here,” Hazel commented. She was awkwardly wearing her own armor. Nico was wearing normal clothes and a toga over it. He had to flex his position as an ambassador of Pluto to even be allowed to attend the ball.</p>
<p>“Did something else happen?” Nico questioned. Hazel shrugged. Nico heard footsteps and turned his head.</p>
<p>“Nico!” Isabella greeted. She was wearing her own armor which only had a few differences from the armor Hazel was wearing. Isabella's toga was blue with a red stripe in the middle.</p>
<p>From what Nico remembered, that particular shade of blue meant she had been in the first cohort. Nico was sure that the red stripe represented eleven years of service. There was too many colors to keep straight. Two men flanked Isabella.</p>
<p>The one on Isabella's left was leaning heavily on a cane despite the fact that he only looked forty. His toga was blue with a green stripe that had red crosses on it. Nico had no clue what that was suppose to mean.</p>
<p>The other one had a scarred face. He wore military dog tags. His toga was blue with a yellow stripe. He examined them with a look of indifference.</p>
<p>“Wilbert,” Isabel began, turning the man with military dog tags. “Have you seen anyone else?”</p>
<p>“No one worth talking to,” Wilbert grunted. He yelped as the other man hit him over the head with the cane. “What was that for?”</p>
<p>“My granddaughter is around here somewhere. She is worth talking to,” the man grumbled. Hazel looked at Nico and smiled. He slowly returned it.</p>
<p>“Who is your granddaughter?” Hazel questioned. She smiled at the man. “I can help you find her.”</p>
<p>“Gwendolyn,” the man answered. Hazel's smile brightened. “Do you know her?”</p>
<p>“She was the centurion of my cohort,” Hazel answered. She gently grabbed his arm. “I'll show you where she is.”</p>
<p>Nico watched the two walk away. He turned and found that Isabella was studying him critically.</p>
<p>“Where is Reyna? I haven't seen her all day,” Isabella said. Nico glanced around quickly. He hoped to see his best friend, but she was nowhere in sight.</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Nico answered. He looked around once again. “I haven't really seen her since last week.”</p>
<p>Wilbert studied Nico. He was still rubbing his head. His eyes studied Nico's necklace and then lack of a tattoo on his forearm. Wilbert glared at Nico and walked away. He was muttering something about dirty barbarians.</p>
<p>“I'm sorry about him,” Isabella said. “A lot of us old timers do not want to change our ways.”</p>
<p>Nico nodded. He felt slightly awkward talking to Reyna's grandma. He had no clue what to talk about. Isabella was studying him with a curious look.</p>
<p>“You two are really good friends,” Isabella stated. Nico nodded. Isabella looked like she wanted him to elaborate.</p>
<p>“We were forced to work together to return the Athena Parthenos. Along the way, we just became really good friends,” Nico explained after a few moments of silence. He tried to elaborate more, but thankfully, his suffering was ended as the music quieted and someone clanged on glass. Nico turned his head and smiled as he saw Reyna and Frank.</p>
<p>Both of them were wearing their armor, purple cloaks, and togas. Reyna was the one holding the glass. She waited for everyone to go silent, which didn't take long.</p>
<p>“First, I want to thank everyone for attending this celebration. I know that you are all busy enjoying the benefits of retirement,” Reyna began. Her voice was still hoarse. She glanced at Frank who smiled at the crowd.</p>
<p>“We are here today to celebrate everyone's service to the legion,” Frank continued. Nico found himself zoning out, and he focused on Reyna. She looked distant. Nico guessed she probably wanted to go back home and be curled up in her bed. There was bags underneath Reyna's eyes, and it looked like she was trying to keep from coughing in the middle of Frank's speech. Reyna met Nico's eyes and smiled slightly.</p>
<p>“You allowed me to call my granddaughter a hard ass,” Isabella whispered in his ear. Nico looked at her and smiled slightly.</p>
<p>“Surprise,” Nico whispered back. Isabella shook her head and listened to the rest of the speech. Nico didn't pay attention because he was too concerned about Reyna.</p>
<p>Nico saw everyone raise their glass to the speech. He stood there awkwardly since he didn't have a glass. Nico watched Reyna talk to a few former members of the legion. She finally made her way over to them.</p>
<p>“Reyna,” Isabella greeted. She hugged Reyna tightly. “You didn't tell me you were a praetor.”</p>
<p>“I just wanted it to be a surprise,” Reyna joked. She looked at Nico tiredly. It was clear that Reyna was completely exhausted.</p>
<p>Isabella examined Reyna. She smiled and spoke, “You have to tell me all about your time here.”</p>
<p>Reyna glanced at Nico. He smiled and gave her a small nod. Reyna returned it with a tired smile. She led her grandmother away.</p>
<p>Nico walked around and tried to find Hazel. He finally spotted her talking to Dakota. Nico walked towards the two.</p>
<p>“Hey Nico,” Dakota greeted. He was drinking his kool-aid. A woman stood next to him drinking wine. “This is my mom.”</p>
<p>Nico greeted Dakota's mom. After that, he stayed in the background and listened to everyone's conversation. He kept one eye on Reyna, who bounced around talking to all of the former legionaries. Frank did the same.</p>
<p>In Nico's opinion, the party was pretty tame. He knew that Romans loved to party the few times that they could, so this was a little disappointing. Nico could probably slip out for a hour or two, and no one would notice. He turned, only to hear yelling.</p>
<p>Nico's attention turned towards a table that they held extra wine and soda. Two old men were standing feet apart and looked like they were arguing. One held a cane, and the other gripped a walker. Nico walked towards the argument and squeezed in with the crowd.</p>
<p>“Your bastard spawn betrayed us all!” the old man with the walker spat. The one with the cane snarled and almost lost his dentures.</p>
<p>“You will never talk about my grandson like that again,” the old man with the cane sneered.</p>
<p>“There is no use to talk about him because he's dead,” the other sneered. The entire crowd seemed to anticipate a fight. Nico didn't know how to feel about it. The two old men might have a heart attack from the excitement.</p>
<p>“You shut your mouth Benson!” the old man with the cane spat. Benson spat at him.</p>
<p>“I'll say what I want Tucker. What are you going to do? Beat me with your cane?” Benson demanded. He raised his walker threateningly.</p>
<p>“Enough!” Reyna yelled as she walked into the middle of the crowd. She glared at the two men. “What are you two doing?”</p>
<p>“That old bastard is insulting my son,” a man answered. He stepped out of the line. The crowd instantly fell silent and stared at him. Reyna watched the man.</p>
<p>“Back in line,” Reyna said in a low voice, but everyone could still hear her. “You don't need to add to this fight. Just get back in line.”</p>
<p>“I'm tired of people slandering my son's name,” the man hissed. He gripped Tucker's shoulder.</p>
<p>“He slandered his own name,” a woman yelled from the other side of the crowd. Frank moved to Reyna's side. Reyna snapped something in Latin, and Frank turned towards Benson as if he was getting ready to stop the old man from charging.</p>
<p>“That is enough from all of you!” Reyna yelled. “You are all suppose to be Romans! What kind of example is this setting for your children. This is disgraceful!”</p>
<p>“Benson started it,” Tucker snapped. “Are you just going to ignore that praetor?”</p>
<p>“She did have many issues with my son,” the man hissed. “She stole his praetorship.”</p>
<p>“The issues between Octavian and I do not matter,” Reyna said. It was clear that she was losing her voice. “Just walk away.”</p>
<p>The man looked around. He seemed to judge the crowd. The man looked back at Reyna and spoke, “No.”</p>
<p>The crowd fell completely silent. Nico glanced at Isabella who was pushing her way to the front of the crowd. A woman moved to the man's side, and she was whispering to him. A fight was on the horizon.</p>
<p>“Nicholas, I am sorry for what happened to Octavian. There is no reason for fighting though. Benson should not have mentioned anything, but you must be the bigger man. Please walk away,” Reyna said. She stepped closer to the man.</p>
<p>Nicholas looked down. He thought about it for a moment before he finally nodded. Then, he went to push past Reyna and charge Tucker. Reyna grabbed his arm and pulled him back around. Nicholas turned and lashed out with a fist that caught Reyna right on the nose.</p>
<p>It seemed like a real fight was going to break out. Nico started to push towards the front of the crowd, and Frank shoved Nicholas backwards. A growl caused everyone to freeze.</p>
<p>“What is this?” Lupa growled. The wolf goddess walked through the crowd. Everyone quickly parted for her. Nicholas gulped as he stepped back. Lupa looked around at the scene. “I am ashamed of all of you. Get out of my sight. This party is over.”</p>
<p>The crowd quickly parted. Nicholas disappeared with Tucker, before Lupa could stop them. Isabella quickly moved to Reyna's side and knelt by Reyna. She spoke, “Tilt your head back. It's a pain to get blood off of armor.”</p>
<p>Nico moved to Reyna's side as well. She looked annoyed by what had happened. Frank knelt by them.</p>
<p>“I hate this stupid ball,” Reyna muttered angrily. “It's been nothing but a pain in my ass.”</p>
<p>“It went better than last time. One of the praetors got stabbed. The one before that ended with a fire,” Isabella said. She examined Reyna's face and tried to stop the blood that was running from her nose.</p>
<p>Lupa walked back towards them. She towered over them. Lupa spoke, “You did well to break up the fight, praetor. Hopefully, Jupiter will not longer insist that we have it. You two rest. I will make sure this is all cleaned up.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Frank said. Lupa turned and walked away. Reyna glanced at Nico and sighed. She stared at the sky.</p>
<p>“This sucks,” Reyna muttered. She winced as Hazel placed a small towel to her nose.</p>
<p>“It was fun while it lasted,” Nico commented.</p>
<p>“It wasn't as fun as the riot fifteen years ago,” Isabella said. It was impossible to tell if she was joking or not. Isabella pulled Reyna to her feet, with some help from Frank.</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Reyna muttered. She looked at Nico. “There is one bright side.”</p>
<p>“What is it?” Nico questioned. Reyna smirked and winced as Isabella popped her nose back into place. Fresh blood trickled from her nose. Reyna put the towel back to her nose.</p>
<p>Frank handed Reyna a towel. She placed it to her nose and closed her eyes. Reyna finally opened her eyes and looked at Nico. She spoke, “Now, I can focus on your birthday.”</p>
<p>Nico groaned inwardly. He didn't want to do anything for his birthday. Reyna winked at him before she allowed Isabella to lead her away.</p>
<p>“Your birthday is coming up?” Frank questioned. Nico didn't answer. He just walked after Reyna. If she did anything for his birthday, he would kill her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Nico's Birthday</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Is everything ready?” Reyna questioned as she looked at the Iris message in front of her. It took all of her willpower not to shiver. Rain was pouring relentlessly, and she was completely soaked. Reyna had taken off her jacket to protect the birthday gift in her arms.</p>
<p>“Where are you?” Annabeth questioned. Reyna didn't answer for a few moments. She looked around at her surroundings. Reyna stood in an alleyway. Monster dust covered the walls, and it had been covering her. The rain had mostly washed it away. The cold from the rain had also numbed her shoulder wound.</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Reyna answered. She knew that her shoulder was covered in blood. Some of it wasn't hers. Annabeth seemed to study her.</p>
<p>“What happened to you?” Annabeth questioned. She sounded concerned.</p>
<p>“Well,” Reyna began. She shivered and took a moment to shift the bundle in her arms. “I came here to get a gift for Nico. It didn't go so well.”</p>
<p>“I'll come get you,” Annabeth decided. Reyna shook her head. She took a moment for her teeth to stop chattering. Annabeth's look of concern deepened.</p>
<p>“I need you to keep the party together. Please,” Reyna begged. Annabeth looked hesitant.</p>
<p>“You still need a way to get here,” Annabeth said. Reyna didn't respond. She sat against the wall absolutely freezing. Annabeth frowned. “Where are you at?”</p>
<p>“I'll be fine,” Reyna protested. Another shiver wracked her body. She could feel Annabeth's eyes glaring into her.</p>
<p>“Reyna, you are going to tell me where you are, and I am coming to get you. If you don't, I will tell Nico about the party,” Annabeth threatened.</p>
<p>“That's a low blow,” Reyna muttered. She closed her eyes tightly and mumbled the address of the store to her right. Reyna was just trying to stay warm at that point. There was no way anyone would let her inside a store.</p>
<p>Annabeth ended the Iris message without another word. Reyna shifted the bundle in her arms. Her shoulder was killing her from trying to hold it.</p>
<p>Reyna laid her head back. She closed her eyes. Reyna didn't even realize she had fallen asleep until someone grabbed her arm. Her eyes snapped open.</p>
<p>“Come on,” Annabeth said gently. She helped Reyna stand and led her to a car. Reyna shivered miserably and looked down at her soaked jacket. The package was still bundled up. Annabeth handed her a warm jacket.</p>
<p>“What is that?” Annabeth questioned. Reyna slowly handed her the bundle. With shaking hands, she put the jacket on. Annabeth slowly gave her the bundle back.</p>
<p>“Birthday gift,” Reyna answered with a shiver. Her teeth were chattering even worse than before. They both sat in the car. Annabeth turned on the heater. Reyna laid her head against the window.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Reyna whispered. She forced her eyes to stay open. After a moment, she shifted the bundle in her arms.</p>
<p>Reyna could feel herself drifting in and out of consciousness. She also heard Annabeth talking, but the words weren't registering. Reyna looked at the bundle in her arms. It shifted.</p>
<p>“Why is your bundle moving?” Annabeth questioned. Reyna slowly unwrapped the bundle. A baby hellhound looked up at them. The car immediately stopped.</p>
<p>“Be careful,” Reyna muttered. She examined the hellhound. There was no way it was more than a few days old.</p>
<p>“Why do you have a hellhound?” Annabeth demanded. Her voice sounded shrill. “Do you know how dangerous they are?”</p>
<p>“It's a baby hellhound,” Reyna answered. “Its mother is dead.”</p>
<p>“How do you know that?” Annabeth questioned. Reyna didn't answer. She just shifted and tried to hide her shoulder wound which suspiciously looked like claw marks.</p>
<p>Annabeth fell silent. She started to drive again. It was an awkward silence between the two. Reyna forced herself to focus on the bundle in her hands.</p>
<p>The hellhound was the size of a full grown cat. Its fur was completely black. A wet nose pressed against her hand. Reyna winced as a tongue started to lick some of the blood and water from her hand.</p>
<p>“Great,” Annabeth muttered. “It has a taste for blood.”</p>
<p>“Why are you so pissed off?” Reyna grumbled. She shifted the hellhound in her arms. Reyna was in a terrible mood. She was freezing cold and practically frozen despite the warm jacket and heater.</p>
<p>“You two are going to give me a heart attack,” Annabeth snapped. She stopped the car. “You two keep getting hurt. Now, you think it's a good idea to give Nico a hellhound.”</p>
<p>“I don't need a lecture,” Reyna snapped. She went to open the door, but Annabeth locked the car. “Chase, what are you doing?”</p>
<p>“Reyna, you need to calm down and see this from my perspective,” Annabeth began. “You are a leader of Camp Jupiter. You cannot afford to keep getting injured.”</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Reyna grumbled. “I've been through a lot worse.”</p>
<p>“What would Nico do if you died?” Annabeth demanded. “He sees you like a sister! Nico would absolutely break if he lost you.”</p>
<p>Reyna looked away. She stared out the window. Annabeth continued, “You have too much on your shoulders to go through with your ridiculous ideas. You didn't have to travel to the Devil's Sinkhole just to get in contact with Nico.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Reyna muttered. She gripped her jacket and did her best not to hurt the hellhound.</p>
<p>“Why do it then?” Annabeth questioned. She looked at Reyna.</p>
<p>“I screwed up with Nico. I had to make up for it,” Reyna whispered. She couldn't explain why she had done it. “Can we please just go?”</p>
<p>Annabeth studied her for a moment. She finally nodded and started to drive again. Reyna laid her head against the window and stared out. She wasn't sure how long it was until they pulled up outside of Sally's house. Reyna slowly looked at Annabeth. The daughter of Athena spoke, “I didn't mean to yell at you.”</p>
<p>“I need to be more careful. I know,” Reyna said. She opened the door and stepped out of the car. Reyna adjusted the bundle.</p>
<p>Annabeth walked towards her. She gently lifted the jacket and examined the hellhound. Annabeth spoke, “I think it's a good gift.”</p>
<p>“It's probably going to try and eat his hand off,” Reyna muttered. Annabeth grabbed her arm.</p>
<p>“It will be fine. It's sweet of you,” Annabeth said. Reyna wrapped the hellhound back up and allowed for Annabeth to lead her into the house.</p>
<p>“Is Sally still moving?” Reyna questioned. Annabeth nodded. Reyna shivered again. Annabeth opened the door, and they stepped inside. Everyone turned to yell surprise. They stopped seeing it was only them. Reyna handed the bundle to Annabeth, and she pulled the jacket off. She put a hand to her shoulder.</p>
<p>“What happened?” Percy questioned as he walked towards them.</p>
<p>“I was just getting Nico his gift,” Reyna answered. She looked at him. “Can I get cleaned up?”</p>
<p>“Down the hall and to the left,” Percy said. Reyna nodded her thanks. She took the bundle from Annabeth and walked towards the bathroom. Reyna stepped inside.</p>
<p>The first thing she did was lay the hellhound in the sink. Reyna took Annabeth's jacket off. Then, she pulled her shirt off. She looked at the claw marks on her shoulder. Reyna closed her eyes and slowly started to clean the wound.</p>
<p>Reyna heard a knock, and Annabeth opened the door. The daughter of Athena spoke, “I have bandages.”</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Reyna muttered, She slowly grabbed a vial from her pocket. Reyna opened it and poured unicorn powder on the worst of the wounds. There was a tingling sensation as some of the wounds closed up.</p>
<p>Annabeth bandaged her shoulder as gently as she could. Reyna turned her attention towards the hellhound. It had managed to crawl out from under the jacket. It looked up at them with sleepy eyes.</p>
<p>Reyna slowly put her hand to the hellhound's mouth. It sniffed her hand before licking it. The hellhound pulled away after a moment and laid on the jacket.</p>
<p>“You're all done,” Annabeth said. She put the bandages away. Reyna tried to relax. “Would you like to borrow one of my shirts?”</p>
<p>“I'd appreciate it,” Reyna answered. She finished drying the hellhound off and worked on cleaning herself up. Annabeth came back with a shirt a minute later. Reyna slowly slipped it on.</p>
<p>“Fits well,” Annabeth commented.</p>
<p>“It obviously wasn't made for people with muscles,” Reyna teased. Annabeth rolled her eyes and helped her clean up the hellhound. After a few minutes, they finished.</p>
<p>Reyna winced as the hellhound bit her finger and started to nibble. It didn't have many teeth, so it felt odd instead of painful. Reyna spoke, “I think it does have a taste for blood.”</p>
<p>“Probably Roman blood,” Annabeth commented. “I think hellhounds like the bitter taste.”</p>
<p>Reyna gasped in mock shock. She pulled her finger away from the hellhound. Reyna picked it up and grabbed her wet jacket. Annabeth took the jacket from her and walked out.</p>
<p>Annabeth returned a moment later. She spoke, “You can put the hellhound in the bathtub until it's time.”</p>
<p>“Is it a he or she?” Reyna questioned. She gently lifted the hellhound. “Boy.”</p>
<p>Reyna walked towards the bathtub and sat the hellhound inside. She placed a hand to her shoulder and followed Annabeth into the living room. Everyone was putting the finishing touches on everything.</p>
<p>“Can I help with anything?” Reyna questioned. She looked around and met Hazel's eyes. Hazel smiled at her and waved. Frank was not able to come to the party. He agreed to stay at Camp Jupiter, so Reyna could go without leaving the camp unattended.</p>
<p>“You can relax,” Piper answered from behind her. Reyna turned around. “There's blood on the back of your neck. What happened?”</p>
<p>“I was getting Nico's gift,” Reyna answered. She bit her tongue as Annabeth placed a towel to the back of her neck and wiped away the blood.</p>
<p>“Nico is going to freak out if he sees the blood,” Piper commented. Reyna shrugged with her good shoulder. Her head turned as the door opened. Sally was standing there.</p>
<p>“Nico refuses leave the car,” Sally reported. She took off her wet jacket. “I think he knows.”</p>
<p>“I'll get him,” Reyna volunteered. She walked outside before anyone could protest. Reyna hurried down the steps and opened the door. She stared at the rain before bracing herself.</p>
<p>Reyna shivered as she stepped out into the cold rain. Her gaze turned towards Sally's van. The engine was still on. Reyna walked towards it and knocked on the window. Nico looked at her. He instantly shook his head. Reyna motioned for him to roll down the window. Nico shook his head once again.</p>
<p>“I fought a hellhound with my bare fists for your present,” Reyna said loudly, so she could be heard over the rain and engine. Nico stared at her. Reyna moved the shirt to reveal the bandage. Nico instantly opened the door.</p>
<p>“What happened?” Nico demanded. He got out of the car and examined the bandage.</p>
<p>“I fought a hellhound with my bare fists.” Reyna repeated. Nico stared for a few moments. “Are you going to come in?”</p>
<p>“I don't want a surprise party,” Nico muttered. He crossed his arms.</p>
<p>“You're in luck,” Reyna commented. “You know about it, so it's just a party.”</p>
<p>Nico shook his head. Reyna sighed and examined her best friend. After a moment, she rubbed her shoulder. Reyna suddenly picked Nico up and threw him over her uninjured shoulder.</p>
<p>“Let me go,” Nico said trying to struggle in her grasp. Reyna closed the car door and walked around to the driver's side. She opened the door and carefully reached inside for the car.</p>
<p>Nico tried to take advantage to slip away, but Reyna had a tight grip. She pulled the keys out of the engine and closed the door. Reyna carried Nico inside and up the stairs.</p>
<p>“You can let me go,” Nico complained. Reyna walked up to Sally's door and placed Nico on the ground. She put a hand to her shoulder.</p>
<p>“You're bony,” Reyna commented. Nico glanced towards a shadow and made a step towards it. Reyna grabbed his collar, opened the door, and shoved him inside.</p>
<p>Nico was assaulted by happy birthdays as he stumbled into the room. His face was completely red. Reyna walked in behind him and closed the door. She smiled at Sally and handed her the keys. Reyna spoke, “Thank you”</p>
<p>“It was my pleasure,” Sally said. “How's your shoulder?”</p>
<p>“Sore,” Reyna admitted. She couldn't lie to Sally without feeling immense guilt. “The unicorn powder will have most of the damage healed by tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“What about the pain?” Sally questioned. Before Reyna could answer, Percy started singing happy birthday. Everyone joined in.  Nico looked at Reyna with a look that swore revenge.</p>
<p>“You need to blow out your cake,” Hazel said. She led Nico towards the table. Reyna looked back at Sally.</p>
<p>“Unicorn power doesn't do anything about the pain,” Reyna finally answered as she looked back at Sally. Before she could react, Sally was pulling her towards the kitchen.</p>
<p>“We'll get drinks,” Sally said. She led Reyna towards the fridge but stopped to grab a pill bottle. “This is pain medicine. You are going to take it.”</p>
<p>Reyna didn't put up a fight. She held her hand out, and Sally dropped pills in it. Reyna poured herself a small glass of water and took the pills.</p>
<p>Sally started pouring drinks for everyone. Reyna helped her in silence. Her eyes kept drifting back to Nico. He was cutting his cake in the most uneven slices she had ever seen.</p>
<p>Sally placed the drinks on a tray. Reyna went to grab it, but Sally cleared her throat. She picked up the tray. Reyna followed her out.</p>
<p>“We could use you to scold some of the demigods,” Reyna commented. Sally smiled as she sat the tray down.</p>
<p>“I cut you a piece,” Nico said as he looked at Reyna. He picked up a slice of cake and slowly put it onto a plate. He held it out to Reyna but glared at her. All Reyna could do was smile.</p>
<p>“Should we do presents during cake or after?” Annabeth questioned. She looked at Nico.</p>
<p>“During,” Nico said. He seemed to accept his fate and relax. “How long did you guys spend setting it up?”</p>
<p>“A few hours,” Piper answered. “Sorry Will couldn't come.”</p>
<p>“He's making it up by taking me out for dinner,” Nico responded. He allowed Annabeth to take over the cake. Nico grabbed his slice and sat down in a chair. “Whose gift should I open first?”</p>
<p>“Reyna's,” Percy said with a mouth full of cake. Sally shot him a look. Percy apologized quickly, realized he still had his mouth full, and swallowed painfully.</p>
<p>Nico looked at the wrapped presents. Reyna spoke, “It's not wrapped. I'll be back.”</p>
<p>Reyna turned and walked back towards the bathroom. She saw the hellhound was laying on its back in the tub. Its little tail wagged as it saw her. Reyna gently picked the hellhound up.</p>
<p>Reyna cradled it in her arm and walked back into the living room. Nico stared at the hellhound. A small smile came to his face.</p>
<p>“Happy birthday,” Reyna said. She gently handed the hellhound to Nico. He grabbed it as gently as he could. “It's a boy.”</p>
<p>“A hellhound,” Nico began. He was still staring, but he still had the small smile. “You got me a hellhound.”</p>
<p>“I thought you needed a dog,” Reyna said with a shrug. “Even though it is a hellhound.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Nico said. He cradled the hellhound and stood. Nico hugged Reyna tightly. She hugged him back. Nico sat back down. He placed the hellhound in his lap. Reyna stepped away and walked towards Annabeth.</p>
<p>“What made you decide to get him a hellhound?” Annabeth whispered. Reyna glanced at her.</p>
<p>“I was going to get him an Albania shirt,” Reyna whispered. “That would have been a joke gift because his real gift is going to be done in a few days. Since the hellhound attacked, I couldn't just leave its baby out in the rain.”</p>
<p>Annabeth stared at her. Reyna smiled slightly. She focused back on Nico and leaned against the wall. Reyna could only hope that her best friend enjoyed his party.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Christmas Eve</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reyna was going to die on top of a strip club. She would rather be dying inside of it, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Reyna also had more pressing issues to attend to. The most important was the rib that was now in her lung.</p>
<p>Reyna coughed more blood out. She barely managed to lift her head. This was all Nico's fault. He had to go and volunteer them to find some demigod for Chiron. When they found the demigod, they also found a stupid Minotaur.</p>
<p>The demigod had been hiding on the top floor of a parking garage. The girl thought that running into a place with no where to go would be a good idea. At first, the fight had gone decently.</p>
<p>Nico came up with the strategy they would use. It was perfect until the Minotaur had picked up a car and flung it at Reyna. She did not have time to dodge because she had just grabbed the girl. Reyna's only hope was to thrown her praetor's cape over both of them.</p>
<p>Capes blessed by Athena were not meant to stop cars. Reyna learned that when the car slammed into them and threw them off of the roof. They had slammed right into the roof of the strip club. The feeling of ribs shattering was instantaneous.</p>
<p>Now, Reyna was staring ahead thinking about how lucky they were to not be dead. She was probably going to die anyway, but that was beside the point. On the bright side, Hylla would be so jealous.</p>
<p>“Are you okay?” the girl questioned in concern. She had been lucky enough to avoid most of the damage. Reyna took the brunt of it. Lucky her.</p>
<p>Reyna coughed out blood and gave the girl a thumbs up. Annabeth had warned to stay out of trouble. This was so Nico's fault though. His great idea led them into the mess.</p>
<p>“What do I do?” the girl questioned. Reyna didn't answer mostly because she was coughing up more blood. It was probable that both lungs had been punctured. It was probably the worst way to go. Well, there was the Roman who died from killer bunnies, but that was beside the point.</p>
<p>“I can help,” the girl began. She looked like she was in absolute panic. “No, I can't. What do I do? What do I do?”</p>
<p>“You can shut up, so I can die in peace,” Reyna muttered. She then realized that she would die to a Minotaur. Why couldn't it have been something cool? Did getting hit by the car count?</p>
<p>Reyna's eyes closed against her will. She opened them as someone cried out. Reyna looked at Nico who was only a few feet from her. He was sitting up but was slowly laying back down.</p>
<p>Reyna knew that Nico must have been thrown down from the top of the parking garage. It was about a story fall. She slowly turned on her side and watched him. Reyna had never seen Nico in so much pain.</p>
<p>Her view was blocked as the Minotaur landed in between them. The roof cracked underneath its weight. Reyna had no time to curse as the roof gave away.</p>
<p>Lucky for Reyna, she stayed conscious as they hit the stage. The girl had grabbed onto her as they fell. Reyna choked on blood instead of screaming in pain. On the bright side, she would now die inside the strip club instead of on top of it.</p>
<p>The Minotaur walked towards them. It looked down at them and snorted. Reyna painfully scooted backwards and tried to grab her dagger. She couldn't even sit up fully.</p>
<p>Her hand slowly closed around the dagger. The girl looked down at her. It would take a miracle to kill the Minotaur, but Reyna knew that she was only seconds from passing out. She barely handed the girl the dagger.</p>
<p>“Heart,” Reyna whispered. She laid her head on the ground and curled up on her side. Her eyes started to close.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Reyna woke up to choking on what she hoped was nectar and not blood. The girl was staring down at her in concern. Reyna spoke, “I'm not dead? Damn it.”</p>
<p>“Pretty lucky,” the girl commented. Reyna nodded in agreement. The girl helped her sit up, but Reyna collapsed on her side a moment later. She spat blood and nectar out and stared ahead.</p>
<p>“Reyna, you were seconds from death,” Nico whispered. He was laying on his back and staring at her in shock. Reyna gave him a pained thumbs up.</p>
<p>“She'll be fine,” the girl promised. She looked much calmer than before. Reyna didn't know why she was so confident. On the bright side, the pain wasn't as bad as before, and she wasn't coughing up blood, which was nice.</p>
<p>“What's up?” Reyna asked as she focused back on Nico. She assumed that the Minotaur was dead because of the large pile of monster dust near them alone with a horn. The girl still had Reyna's dagger in her hand. Beginner's luck.</p>
<p>“You coughed blood up everywhere,” Nico commented.</p>
<p>“I like to freak you out,” Reyna teased. She watched Nico and tried to conserve her strength. Standing would come later once she figured out why she wasn't dead and why it felt like her ribs were out of her lungs. “How close am I to death now?”</p>
<p>“We gave you more nectar than you needed,” Nico answered. “I think your ribs are out of your lungs.”</p>
<p>“How?” Reyna wondered. She tried to sit up but groaned in pain. “Not a good idea.”</p>
<p>“Luck,” the girl answered. She knelt next to Nico.</p>
<p>“That doesn't make sense,” Nico argued.</p>
<p>“Luck doesn't make sense,” the girl answered. “It is just a thing that happens. It's the reason I killed the Minotaur, and it's the reason your friend isn't dead.”</p>
<p>“Damn it,” Reyna groaned. “You're a child of Fortuna.”</p>
<p>“Fortuna?” Nico asked. Reyna shook her head. She motioned for the girl to help up. After a moment, Reyna was on her feet. Her ribs hated her at that moment. Reyna ignored the pain and walked towards Nico. She held a hand out. Nico didn't take it. In fact, he blushed.</p>
<p>“I can't help you stand if you don't take my hand,” Reyna said.</p>
<p>“That's the problem,” Nico began. “I think I broke my butt.”</p>
<p>Reyna laughed and promptly collapsed to the ground. She curled up as she laughed. Nico spoke, “Don't laugh! Jerk.”</p>
<p>It hurt to laugh, but it was too funny. Reyna wanted to record this moment. The girl stood by them awkwardly. She finally cleared her throat and spoke, “What is going on?”</p>
<p>“You're a demigod,” Reyna said in between laughing, coughing, and wheezing for breath. She forced herself to calm down. “I assume that your mother is Fortuna.”</p>
<p>“What?” the girl asked. She sounded shocked. Reyna raised an arm to show off her tattoo.</p>
<p>“Romans get these. Have you had any dreams to go to a wolf house?” Reyna questioned. The girl shook her head. “You're definitely and unfortunately a Greek then. Come on.”</p>
<p>Reyna slowly managed to get to her feet with the girl's help. The praetor spoke, “Name's Reyna. That's Nico. I'm a daughter of Bellona, and Nico is a son of Hades.”</p>
<p>“Lucia,” the girl said. She looked at Nico. “Do we have anymore of that nectar stuff?”</p>
<p>Reyna looked at Nico who painfully shook his head. She bit back a curse and walked towards him. Reyna grabbed Nico and picked him up. The pain almost caused her to collapse back to the ground.</p>
<p>“Grab my arm,” Reyna wheezed. Lucia quickly did. “Nico, Camp Half-Blood.”</p>
<p>Her eyes closed as they shadow traveled. The side effects hit her as she felt her feet hit solid ground. Reyna promptly collapsed a moment later.</p>
<p>The cries of alarm didn't register. She managed to open her eyes to see Annabeth standing over her. She looked like she wanted to chide Reyna, but she also looked extremely concerned. Reyna held up a hand and spoke, “This was all Nico's fault.”</p>
<p>“It would technically be mine,” Chiron said as he walked towards them. Reyna managed a pitiful wave. She glanced at Nico who was out of it. Lucia looked ready to have a panic attack. Reyna probably should have given her the whole demigod speech, but they needed medical attention.</p>
<p>“That's Lucia,” Reyna muttered. “She killed the Minotaur while I was unconscious. One of my ribs may have also reinserted itself into my lungs, so I'm going to pass out now.”</p>
<p>“No,” Annabeth said sternly. She pulled Reyna up and into a chair. Reyna groaned in agony and spat out blood. She had the decency to do it on her shoes.</p>
<p>“What's wrong with Nico?” Chiron questioned. Reyna started laughing again, and more pain tore through her chest. Karma was going to kick her ass, but it would be so worth it.</p>
<p>“He broke his butt,” Reyna answered in between laughs. Chiron deserved all the credit in the world. His face did not curve into the smile that Reyna knew was threatening to break out. Chiron nodded.</p>
<p>“Percy, can you get Will?” Chiron questioned. Percy was busy silently laughing. He managed to stand and stumble away.</p>
<p>Reyna looked up with tears in her eyes from laughing so much. She saw Annabeth pull out nectar. Reyna spoke, “They already made me drink too much.”</p>
<p>“Do you think the strip club will be mad|?” Lucia asked. Annabeth turned to stare at her. Reyna started laughing again. Tears filled her eyes from how painful it was. Maybe, it was the pain causing her to laugh so much, or maybe she just need an escape from everything.</p>
<p>“I think the janitor will be,” Reyna muttered. Annabeth grabbed her arm.</p>
<p>“Strip club?” Annabeth demanded. Reyna tried to speak, but she couldn't. The pain was starting to overtake her other senses. Annabeth grabbed her face. “Stay awake.”</p>
<p>“I really really don't want to,” Reyna said. She would have fallen off of the chair if Annabeth had not grabbed her.</p>
<p>“Reyna!” Nico cried. Reyna slowly looked up. She felt Chiron grab her arm. Lucia grabbed her other arm.</p>
<p>Reyna's eyes closed tiredly. Annabeth wrapped Reyna's arm around her shoulder and helped her stand. She practically carried Reyna the few feet towards the infirmary.</p>
<p>“Do you think you're just going to pass out or worse?” Annabeth questioned. Reyna considered it.</p>
<p>“Pass out,” Reyna answered. She opened her eyes and frowned. “It may be worse. I'm not sure.”</p>
<p>“It would be bad if you died on Christmas Eve,” Annabeth commented as she opened the door to the infirmary. She sat Reyna on the nearest bed. Reyna laid on her back and groaned painfully.</p>
<p>“Want to hear something funny?” Reyna asked. She felt slightly lightheaded. Her eyes started to close. “I've never celebrated Christmas.”</p>
<p>“Why not?” Annabeth questioned. She gently moved Reyna's head to the side. Reyna felt two cold hands being placed to her ribs.</p>
<p>“Hylla was too busy protecting me,” Reyna hissed. She tried to control her pained breathing. “My dad wasn't there enough for it. Circe never celebrated it. Camp Jupiter gives you the holiday off, so I just stayed and trained.”</p>
<p>Reyna had a sixth sense that could tell when anything sharp and pointy was near her neck. That was why her hand shot out to grab a needle that was an inch from her neck. Annabeth grabbed her arm and pinned it.</p>
<p>“It's going to help you sleep,” Annabeth began.</p>
<p>“It's a needle near my neck,” Reyna said. “I don't need help sleeping.”</p>
<p>“You're going to be up and moving,” Annabeth protested. “Sorry.”</p>
<p>Reyna tried to fight, but Annabeth held her arms down. She struggled as the needle was inserted into her neck. Reyna closed her eyes tightly. Needles were a childhood fear that she had always kept locked away. After a few moments, Reyna felt even more tired. She also felt relaxed. Her eyes started to close against her will. The last thing she saw was Nico staring at her as he was carried into the infirmary.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Christmas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nico hated his life sometimes. Will, being the immature jerk that he was, had already made about twenty butt jokes. Nico had woken up five minutes ago. If the jokes continued, he was going to crawl to a cliff and throw himself off of it.</p>
<p>Nico turned his head to look at Reyna. She was still asleep. Reyna had not been awake since Annabeth jabbed a needle into her neck. That sucked for Nico because he had been up almost all night, and he was bored.</p>
<p>“Merry Christmas,” Will said. Nico glanced at him. His boyfriend smirked. “I promise I will stop with the butt jokes.”</p>
<p>“Is that my gift?” Nico teased. Will winked at him and leaned back in his seat. He was toying with a box. Nico raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to ask me to get married?”</p>
<p>“Why would I want to marry someone who broke their butt?” Will teased. Nico gave him a look. “I'll stop with the butt jokes starting now.”</p>
<p>Will handed the package to Nico. The son of Hades opened it and stared. There was a ring inside that had a skull. It rested on top of a lyre.</p>
<p>“I made it myself. No, it is not a ring for a marriage proposal,” Will said. Nico smiled. It looked pretty ugly, but he loved it.</p>
<p>“I didn't get you anything,” Nico began. Will looked at him and smiled brightly. His teeth were almost blinding.</p>
<p>“All I need is you,” Will said. Nico did his best not to blush, but he couldn't help it. His boyfriend kissed his cheek and stood. “I have to go, but I'll visit soon.”</p>
<p>“Do you promise?” Nico teased. Will smiled at him and walked out. Nico laid his head back. He sighed tiredly and glanced at Reyna. She had given him a heart attack the night before.</p>
<p>Now, they could relax. It was Christmas, but that didn't make him feel better. The last good Christmas he had was with Bianca. Nico swallowed painfully as he thought of his sister.</p>
<p>A door opening caught his attention. He turned his head and saw Piper. She was holding up his hellhound, which was covered in different kinds of powder and lipstick.  A very angry Drew stood next to her.</p>
<p>“Your stupid little mutt,” Drew began. She stepped forward, but Piper grabbed her.</p>
<p>“Your hellhound got into our cabin,” Piper began. Nico slowly looked at his hellhound and couldn't suppress a laugh.</p>
<p>“Don't even,” Drew snapped. She snatched the hellhound out of Piper's hands and threw it at Nico. The hellhound yelped as Nico barely caught him. “Keep that stupid thing out of my cabin.”</p>
<p>Nico looked down at his hellhound who was covered in all different types of makeup. Drew huffed in anger, looked like she wanted to curse, and stalked out.</p>
<p>“Sorry about her,” Piper said. She grabbed a towel and ran it under water. Piper helped clean the hellhound off.</p>
<p>“It's no big deal,” Nico promised. He smiled at his hellhound. “Having a good Christmas?”</p>
<p>“Drew almost screamed my ear off,” Piper replied. “It could have been worse, but I'll live. How are you feeling?”</p>
<p>“My butt is numb,” Nico admitted. He tried not to think about how terrible that sentence sounded. “I'm more worried about Reyna. She hasn't woken up yet.”</p>
<p>“Annabeth gave her strong medicine,” Piper said. She gently tried to pick up the hellhound. It tried to bite her. “What are you going to name him?”</p>
<p>“I haven't decided,” Nico answered. He rubbed his chin before laying his head back. A rough tongue started licking his face a moment later.</p>
<p>“Killer would be a good one,” Reyna mumbled. Nico quickly looked at her. Reyna was staring at the ceiling. She had a hand resting on her stomach.</p>
<p>“How do you feel?” Nico questioned. Reyna started laughing. She groaned in agony a moment later and turned on her side.</p>
<p>“Sorry. I just remembered that you broke your butt,” Reyna said. Nico glared at her. “We were fighting with a child of Fortuna. How could you break your butt?”</p>
<p>“She probably used all of her luck to save you,” Nico said. Reyna's eyes flickered away from him. “Hey, I didn't mean it like that.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Reyna muttered. She turned on her back and stared up at the ceiling. Nico frowned. Reyna sighed tiredly. “Sorry about laughing at you.”</p>
<p>“Reyna, what's wrong?” Piper questioned. She stood and took a step forward. Nico grabbed Piper's arm and gave her a look. They needed to figure out why Reyna was in a bad mood, but she wouldn't take kindly to that.</p>
<p>Nico was pretty sure that Reyna was not fighting with her sister. Everything at Camp Jupiter was good. It didn't make sense. It wasn't like anyone had died. Nico laid his head back as he realized why Reyna was in a terrible mood.</p>
<p>“Reyna, it's okay,” Nico began.</p>
<p>“Don't,” Reyna snapped. She looked at Nico. There was tears starting to form in her eyes. Reyna tried to sit up, but she winced in pain. The praetor turned her back to them and stared at a wall.</p>
<p>Nico bit his tongue. He wanted to tell comfort Reyna, but he didn't know what to say. What could he even say? Sorry that this is the anniversary of when you killed your father. I'm sure this Christmas will be better.</p>
<p>Piper glanced at Nico. Her gaze moved to Reyna. Nico shook his head. He knew his best friend needed time alone. Piper seemed to understand. She nodded and walked out.</p>
<p>Nico laid his head back. Reyna had told him how she had killed her father, but they didn't talk about it after that. It was too difficult of a subject. Nico didn't want to talk about his own sister's death. Why would Reyna want to talk about her father's?</p>
<p>Great. Now, Nico's thoughts were drifting towards Bianca. This would be the first Christmas that he actually celebrated without his sister. Truthfully, Nico missed her. He sniffled and realized tears were coming to his eyes.</p>
<p>The son of Hades quickly wiped his eyes. He sniffled and cleared his throat. His eyes drifted back to Reyna. She was trying to pretend that she was asleep, but Nico knew better.</p>
<p>The door opening caught his attention. He looked up to see Lucia. She smiled happily at Nico. He managed a smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace.</p>
<p>“How are you feeling?” Lucia asked.</p>
<p>“Perfect,” Nico answered. “Other than the fact that I can't walk. And, everyone is making butt jokes.”</p>
<p>“You mean the butt of jokes?” Lucia asked. Nico gave her a look. Lucia smiled and sat down near him. “I wish I could have given some of my luck to you. Chiron told me that it goes on and off at random. He also told me I would have bad luck days.”</p>
<p>“Bad luck days?” Nico asked. He really didn't like the sound of that. From Lucia's face, she didn't like it either.</p>
<p>“There will days when I am completely unlucky,” Lucia said. “If I touch anyone, they will get my bad luck. Chiron said it should be controllable because my siblings and I can be contained that day.. He did tell me that one of those bad luck days caused World War One, so no pressure.”</p>
<p>“How did it cause World War One?” Reyna questioned as she turned back towards them. Reyna would avoid her feelings, but she couldn't avoid hearing about a war. Nico did his best not to roll his eyes, but he was glad she no longer seemed angry.</p>
<p>“The guy who killed the Archduke accidentally tripped and fired his gun. The bullet managed to hit the Archduke,” Lucia answered.</p>
<p>“No pressure,” Nico agreed. He slowly looked at Reyna. A million things ran through his head. He focused on one thought. “Hylla is going to be so jealous when she learns you destroyed a strip club.”</p>
<p>It was meant to be a joke. He didn't want the sad look in Reyna's eyes to come back. How could he be so bad at comforting someone? Reyna turned on her back and stared at the ceiling.</p>
<p>Nico winced as his hellhound started to nibble on his fingers. He tried to think how to comfort Reyna. Nothing came to mind. Nico sighed and laid his head back.</p>
<p>“I need to get back, but I wanted to check on you two,” Lucia said. She stood and looked at them. “I owe you two my life.”</p>
<p>“Our pleasure,” Nico replied. Lucia nodded and walked out. Reyna sighed deeply and stared at the ceiling. She would not meet Nico's eyes. “Want to sneak out?”</p>
<p>“I want to crawl in a hole,” Reyna replied. That wasn't the answer that Nico wanted, but it was progress. Reyna was expressing some emotions.</p>
<p>“That strip club is going to be mad,” Nico joked. Reyna didn't respond which made Nico angrier. That was why he didn't think about his next words. “Even though I have a family member that is dead, you don't see me being all pissed off.”</p>
<p>Nico didn't know why the words left his mouth. He wanted to grab them and shove them back in. Reyna's jaw clenched. She was on her feet a moment later. Nico did his best to sit up, and Reyna helped him by grabbing his shirt and practically pulling him into a sitting position.</p>
<p>“Don't compare them,” Reyna hissed. “You don't understand what it is like and pray that you never do.”</p>
<p>Reyna shoved Nico back on the bed and left the infirmary. Nico laid his head back and put both hands to his face. How? How did he manage to piss his best friend off on Christmas?</p>
<p>Nico stayed like that for five minutes. He heard the door open and lowered his hands. An apology was already forming in his head. It died as he saw Hazel.</p>
<p>Nico was always happy to see Hazel, but today was a slight exception. He needed to find Reyna and apologize to her. Hazel seemed to sense his bad mood.</p>
<p>“What's wrong?” Hazel asked. She lowered the present in her hands. Nico took a deep breath and forced a smile. He couldn't ruin Hazel's Christmas.</p>
<p>“Nothing,” Nico answered. “You can't get me anything because I didn't get you anything.”</p>
<p>“Too late,” Hazel said with a smile. She knew something was wrong, but she wasn't going to force the issue. Hazel walked towards his bed and sat the present down. She gently picked up the hellhound.</p>
<p>The hellhound barked happily and licked Hazel's face. Nico was eighty percent sure that the hellhound like Hazel more than him. Hazel spoke, “For Christmas, you should give your hellhound a name.”</p>
<p>“I don't have a name scary enough,” Nico said. He sat up the best he could. Hazel handed him the present. Nico slowly took it and opened it.</p>
<p>Nico stared as he saw the necklace. It, unsurprisingly, had a skull on it. It was made out of stygian iron. Nico looked up and spoke, “Thank you.”</p>
<p>Hazel hugged him gently. She spoke, “Merry Christmas.”</p>
<p>“Merry Christmas,” Nico said. He hugged Hazel back. “What are you plans for today?”</p>
<p>“I have a date with Frank,” Hazel answered. “I heard that Reyna was here too. Where is she?”</p>
<p>“I made her mad,” Nico answered. “I have to make it up to her, but I don't know where she went.”</p>
<p>Hazel nodded. She smiled at Nico. He returned the smile, but his thoughts drifted away. Nico shifted and winced. There was an odd sensation of pain and numbness in his butt, and he did not enjoy the sensation.</p>
<p>“I'm sure Reyna will turn up,” Hazel said. “I'll get you some food, okay?”</p>
<p>Nico nodded gratefully. He laid his head back as Hazel walked out. The son of Hades closed his eyes and rubbed his face. His hellhound nibbled on his sleeve and tried pulling it. Nico gently pushed the hellhound away.</p>
<p>Today sucked. He had a broken butt and couldn't move. Worse, he had angered his best friend. Nico sighed. He had to make it up to Reyna.</p>
<p>“As soon as I am out of this bed, I will find Reyna and apologize,” Nico vowed. He looked as his hellhound as started to chew on his hand, “You need to stop tearing up the Aphrodite cabin. You're suppose to do it to the Ares cabin, understood? Well, Drew is an exception, but you can't be caught next time.”</p>
<p>The hellhound licked his face. Nico smiled slightly, and the breath of his hellhound slammed into his face. Nico promptly gagged and tried to breath. He realized this was definitely karma.</p>
<p>Nico placed his hellhound by his side. He picked up his ring and put it on. His necklace went on a moment later. Nico stared at the ceiling as apologies ran through his head.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Aphrodite TV</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reyna was never going to refuse bed rest again. The Senate heard about her broken ribs, and they had given her an opportunity to still do something that would count as resting without actual resting involved. It seemed to good to be true, and it was.</p>
<p>“I just want to see how a normal demigod lives,” Venus said as she worked on her makeup. Reyna stared ahead as she wished the minivan in front of her would hurry up. A sigh left her as she stopped at a light. Her job was to escort Venus as the goddess filmed one of her new shows.</p>
<p>It seemed like a prank. Venus could not be starring in her own reality show. Two cameras were following them at all times. One was focused on Reyna, and the other on Venus. For some reason, the goddess wanted to live a mortal life for a day and see how they lived.</p>
<p>“This is taking too long,” Venus complained as she looked at the traffic light. She snapped her fingers, and the light turned green. Reyna stared into the camera for a few moments before Venus nudged her. “The light is green silly.”</p>
<p>Reyna looked ahead and focused on driving. She was already losing it. Venus kept snapping her fingers to change the song on the radio. Every. Few. Seconds.</p>
<p>“What will we be doing at Camp Half-Blood?” Venus questioned. “Do you think there will be time for makeovers. That would be good for Aphrodite TV.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Reyna muttered. She bit back a growl as Venus changed the radio again. The goddess muttered to herself and snapped her fingers. The radio turned back to the song that had just been on. After a moment, Venus skipped the song by snapping her fingers.</p>
<p>Reyna was going to explode. She slowly spoke, “Mortals can't change the radio.”</p>
<p>“And?” Venus questioned. She snapped her fingers again. Reyna watched a camera move in front of her face which allowed her to stare into it and still focus on the road.</p>
<p>“Help me,” Reyna mouthed. She took a deep breath and focused ahead. After fifteen minutes, she pulled up outside the hill to Camp Half-Blood. Reyna put the van into park.</p>
<p>“Are you ready to meet your co-host?” Venus questioned as she got out of the van. Reyna stared at her and slowly got out of the van. Moving too quick caused pain to shoot through her body.</p>
<p>Reyna turned towards the hill and cursed as she saw Nico. It was the last person she wanted to see. He slowly walked towards them.</p>
<p>“This is going to be so much fun,” Venus squealed. Reyna took a deep breath, regretted it, and walked towards Nico. A camera followed her.</p>
<p>“Hey,” Nico greeted. His eyes were apologizing. Reyna just sighed and walked up the hill. She needed to keep it civil. “How are you ribs?”</p>
<p>So, Nico wanted to make small talk. Reyna wasn't in the mood, but it was better than being with Venus. Reyna spoke, “Broken.”</p>
<p>“It's been two days,” Nico began. He stopped at the top of the hill. Reyna did too. She waited for Venus to catch up. The goddess was lugging a heavy suitcase up the hill. Shame she had no one to carry it for her.</p>
<p>“They're still broken,” Reyna said. She looked at Nico and didn't keep the venom out of her voice. “This is how the Senate thought I should rest. I would rather be at Camp Jupiter.”</p>
<p>She might have been a little harsh, but she didn't care. Nico looked away and didn't say anything. After two minutes, Venus managed to get up the hill with her overstuffed suitcase. It was as large as the goddess and the brightest shade of pink that Reyna had ever seen.</p>
<p>“Reyna, can you introduce where we are?” Venus questioned.</p>
<p>“A hill,” Reyna replied. Venus shot her a look. “Oh, I meant to say a large hill.”</p>
<p>“It's the entrance to Camp Half-Blood,” Nico explained. He looked at the camera as he pointed to the dragon. “There is our dragon which guards the Golden Fleece. That tree is Thalia's. It was made when she sacrificed herself for her friends, and it keeps monsters and mortals out.”</p>
<p>“Let's go,” Venus said. She started to walk down the hill and into camp with her suitcase. It was so heavy that it whipped in front of her and practically dragged her down the hill, and she was forced to let go of it. Reyna watched it roll down the hill and barely clip a camper. They were thrown to the ground like a car had hit them.</p>
<p>Reyna sighed and walked down the hill. She grabbed the suitcase and tried to lift it. Pain tore through her ribs, and the suitcase didn't move an inch. Right. It was too heavy for a goddess, so a demigod wouldn't even be able to budge it.</p>
<p>“What is in here?” Reyna wheezed. She stood and placed a hand to her ribs. Her day sucked even more at that moment. Reyna turned towards the camper and help them up. The girl thanked her and started to limp away. Venus walked towards Reyna's side and pulled up the suitcase.</p>
<p>“It's just clothes for the weekend,” Venus answered. Reyna stared at her. The goddess smiled and started to drag her suitcase away. Reyna saw Nico walk towards her and open his mouth.</p>
<p>“Don't talk,” Reyna ordered. She turned to follow Venus. A hand grabbed her shoulder.</p>
<p>“No,” Nico hissed. “Listen to me. I am sorry for what I said.”</p>
<p>The praetor stopped walking. She looked at the ground and took a deep breath. Reyna spoke, “The two events are nothing alike. You couldn't do anything about what happened to Bianca.”</p>
<p>“What happened to my father was my fault,” Reyna whispered. “I had control of the events. Don't dishonor yourself by comparing the two.”</p>
<p>Nico stared at her. He spoke, “Reyna, stop. This isn't you.”</p>
<p>Reyna didn't respond. She had been feeling really low the past few days. It always happened around that time of the year.</p>
<p>“I shouldn't have said what I did,” Nico began. “I know that you're mad at me and feel guilty about being angry. You have every right to be upset. What happened to your father was not your fault.”</p>
<p>Reyna looked down. Before Nico could say anything else, Venus stepped in between them. The goddess spoke, “I talked to Chiron. He said that I would be staying at my cabin. I assume it's the large mansion.”</p>
<p>Nico snorted and tried to cover it with a cough. He cleared his throat and looked at Venus. The goddess was studying him as if to figure out if she should smile him or not.</p>
<p>“Your cabin is the barbie one,” Reyna interrupted. She gave Nico a small smirk. “You should take the camera in for an authentic reaction.”</p>
<p>Venus nodded. Makeup appeared in her hands, and she stared to do her eyeliner. The goddess spoke, “Bring my bags.”</p>
<p>“But,” Reyna began. Venus walked away and promptly ignored her. Reyna sighed and turned towards Nico. “Look, I'm sorry.”</p>
<p>“You can't keep hiding your emotions from me,” Nico said. “I know you too well.”</p>
<p>“Nico, thank you,” Reyna said. She placed a hand to her ribs. “I don't want to talk about it today, but I will sometime. All's forgiven. Are we good?”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Nico answered. He punched Reyna hard in the shoulder. “That's for laughing about me breaking my butt.”</p>
<p>Reyna opened her mouth to respond. She froze as she realized that the second camera had not followed Venus and was still on them. Nico had just admitted that he had broken his butt to whoever had been watching.</p>
<p>Nico stared at the camera. He looked like he wanted to speak but couldn't. Reyna watched the camera. A small light lit up on the side. Reyna read the word commercial. She laughed and collapsed to the ground.</p>
<p>“Who do you think is watching?” Nico whispered.</p>
<p>“Everyone,” Reyna wheezed. She closed her eyes. Nico finally helped her stand and made an odd noise.</p>
<p>“My butt hurts,” Nico mumbled. Reyna bit back a laugh because she couldn't handle the pain.</p>
<p>“Please stop talking,” Reyna said. “You're only making it worse.”</p>
<p>Nico nodded his agreement. He spoke, “How did you get dragged into this?”</p>
<p>“I didn't want bed rest,” Reyna replied. “The Senate immediately offered me a job that give me something to do besides resting. I should have realized it was a trap.”</p>
<p>“How should we get out of this?” Nico whispered.</p>
<p>“We don't,” Reyna answered. She glanced at Nico and smirked. “We wait for it to blow up in Venus's face.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>It took three hours for the reality show to blow up in Venus's face. Unfortunately, it also blew up in Reyna's face as well. Camp Half-Blood had just finished dinner when Venus wanted to get something from her van. Reyna was volunteered to get it for her.</p>
<p>“What are we getting?” Reyna questioned as the walked away from the table. One camera followed behind them. The other had gone to the campfire.</p>
<p>“Nothing,” Venus replied. “Campfires are so bad for my hair and complexion.”</p>
<p>Reyna was torn between annoyance and understanding. She hated the singing at the campfire. Why learn about your grandma's armor when you could just put it on and kill someone?</p>
<p>Reyna decided on rubbing her forehead. She hated the reality show and just hoped it would be over soon. Without voicing her complaint, Reyna followed Venus to the van. When they were five feet from the van, it exploded.</p>
<p>The explosion threw Reyna backwards a few feet. She hit the ground hard and probably blacked out for a few moments. She opened her eyes to see someone standing over her.</p>
<p>“Roman,” Bendis hissed. Reyna stared. How did the goddess even manage to find her? Reyna painfully scooted backwards. She didn't have the strength to scramble to her feet and run.</p>
<p>Nico appeared in front of her. He held his sword in front of them protectively. Bendis laughed and spoke, “Do you think that your little toothpick will do anything to me?”</p>
<p>“Come find out,” Nico challenged. Bendis smirked and went to attack. A blur moved in front of them. Venus disarmed Bendis and kicked her backwards. Bendis snarled and held out her hand. Her fallen bow shot towards her hand.</p>
<p>“We need to go,” Nico said. He pulled Reyna up. Reyna stumbled and gritted her teeth painfully. Her attention stayed on Venus. She stared as the goddess of love deflected two arrows with her sword. “Reyna!”</p>
<p>“I know,” Reyna muttered. She took a step backwards and forced herself to keep from stumbling. Nico steadied her and helped her walk towards the hill. Reyna placed a hand to her head and was glad to find no blood. Her head ached pretty badly, but it wasn't a concussion.</p>
<p>“What happened?” Reyna groaned. She could see campers gathered at the hill. They looked hesitant to cross the border. Others looked like they were in shock.</p>
<p>“I saw you trying to slip away, so I went to follow you. The van exploded,” Nico explained. “How do you manage to keep getting hurt.”</p>
<p>“I got reinjured,” Reyna countered. Nico helped her across the barrier and allowed her to collapse to her knees. Reyna glanced behind them.</p>
<p>Bendis and Venus were locked in battle. It even looked like Venus was winning. Reyna felt a canteen being shoved into her hands.</p>
<p>“You need to stop getting hurt,” Annabeth chided. The daughter of Athena studied her for a moment and then crossed her arms impatiently. Reyna rolled her eyes but took a drink from the canteen. She felt some of the pain melt away.</p>
<p>“I am sorry for what happened,” Nico whispered as he sat down near her. Reyna slowly sat down and rubbed her forehead tiredly.</p>
<p>“Hey, we're cool,” Reyna promised. “Besides, I might kick your butt in sparring to even it out.”</p>
<p>“You'd have to stay uninjured for that,” Nico teased. He winced as Venus smacked Bendis into the ruined van. “Do you think that she had makeup in the van?”</p>
<p>“Probably,” Reyna replied. She looked at Nico. “And, I could kick your butt with one arm tied behind my back.”</p>
<p>“Challenge accepted,” Nico said. He grinned and nudged her. Nico then winced as Venus stabbed Bendis in the stomach and pulled the sword out. The goddess of love smacked Bendis with the hilt of her sword.</p>
<p>“I have five bucks on Venus,” Reyna commented. She winced as Bendis fired an arrow at Venus and caught her in the shoulder.</p>
<p>“Ten on Bendis winning. Twenty on Ares coming to save Aphrodite,” Nico countered.</p>
<p>“You can't place two bets,” Reyna said. She frowned and thought about it. “Never mind, you can. That way I get thirty bucks when I win.”</p>
<p>“In your dreams,” Nico muttered. He looked at Reyna and smiled happily. Reyna returned the smile and wrapped her arm around Nico's shoulders. She pulled him close.</p>
<p>“I'll put fifty on Venus,” Reyna finally decided. She watched Venus cut another arrow out of the air. Who knew that a goddess of love would be good at fighting?</p>
<p>Reyna groaned as Nico pulled away and helped her to her feet. She placed a hand to her ribs and watched the fight. Truthfully, Reyna was concerned as to why Bendis had targeted her. Hopefully, it was just a coincidence, and nothing would come of it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Book Report Part One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nico was really confused when he woke up. That was because he was laying on a bed. To be exact, it was Reyna's bed. Nico frowned and tried slipping out of the blankets that were wrapped around him.</p>
<p>As he struggled, his mind drifted back to the night before. Nico had escorted Reyna back to her house and stayed the night with her. The last thing he remembered was watching some movie. He guessed that he fell asleep during it.</p>
<p>That didn't explain why he was in Reyna's bed. Her ribs were still broken, so she shouldn't be lifting anything. Nico decided to spend the next two minutes thinking of a lecture.</p>
<p>Nico finally managed to extract himself from the blankets he was buried under. The son of Hades took a deep breath and walked out of Reyna's room. He took four steps down the hall and stepped into the living room. His lecture died on his lips.</p>
<p>Two people were lounging around on the couch. One of them was Reyna. The praetor had a laptop on her lap, and she was typing into it. An open book rested on the table near her. As Reyna glanced at it, she seemed to notice Nico.</p>
<p>“Morning,” Nico slowly said. His eyes moved to the second person. Hylla watched him without a word. The queen of the Amazons looked relaxed, but there was also something angry in her eyes.</p>
<p>“Hey,” Reyna muttered. Her attention was on the laptop as she typed. Hylla shifted and used Reyna's legs as a foot rest. Nico realized that Hylla had not taken her eyes off of him.</p>
<p>“Son of Hades,” Hylla greeted. She smiled, but it seemed forced. Nico quickly found himself in hostile territory. Hylla was mad at him, but he had no clue why.</p>
<p>“What are you doing here?” Nico questioned. “Shouldn't you be with your Amazons?”</p>
<p>“I owed my sister a late Christmas present,” Hylla answered. “For some reason, she didn't like my first gift.”</p>
<p>“I do not need you to set me up on a date with one of the boys that you keep as a slave,” Reyna muttered. Her eyes moved off of the laptop for a moment.</p>
<p>“They are trained,” Hylla said with a shrug. “I even offered to set you up with one of the Amazons. What's wrong with that?”</p>
<p>“You would have the slave or Amazon report on me,” Reyna muttered. “They would be scared to make a move. The only Amazon I am interested in is taken.”</p>
<p>“I told you that I would take her girlfriend out,” Hylla countered. Reyna rolled her eyes before going back to typing.</p>
<p>“No offense,” Nico began as he looked at Hylla. “The slaves in the Amazons aren't that hot.”</p>
<p>“Neither are you,” Hylla commented. Reyna hi her sister's shoulder. “Hey, I like chicks! It's not my fault you swing both ways.”</p>
<p>“Shut up,” Reyna ordered. Hylla sighed and looked at the laptop. She snorted before looking back at Nico.</p>
<p>“What are you typing?” Nico wondered. He sat by Hylla because the anger seemed to have subsided. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Aurum and Argentum fighting each other for a large piece of metal.</p>
<p>“Book report,” Reyna replied. “It's due at five.”</p>
<p>“Wait,” Nico began. “Why are you doing a book report?”</p>
<p>“For college,” Hylla answered like it was obvious. She gave Reyna a look. The praetor raised an eyebrow, and Hylla sighed. “Right. It's so she can complete high school to get into college.”</p>
<p>“We left Puerto Rico when I was young, and I haven't had any official education since then,” Reyna explained. “When I came to Camp Jupiter, I've been trying to make up for the lost years, so I can attend the college. One of the professors is helping me.”</p>
<p>“My little sister wants an education,” Hylla commented. “Why do that when you can just be queen?”</p>
<p>“Until you get killed,” Reyna muttered bitterly. Hylla fell silent for a moment. She glanced at her sister.</p>
<p>Nico understood where Reyna was coming from. It reminded him of Bianca. She had joined a group that she could have easily died in, and she did. Nico slowly looked back at the two sisters.</p>
<p>“If I get killed,” Hylla corrected as she seemed to snap out of the shock. A smirk came to her face. “You are extremely negative. Are you sure that I should not set you up with anyone? It might help you release some stress. Or, do you already have someone for that?”</p>
<p>Reyna remained silent, but her face turned a bright red. She buried her face in her laptop. Hylla grinned. Nico frowned. He had no clue what they were talking about. After a few moments, Nico looked back at Hylla. She was watching him rather intently. The anger was back in her eyes. Nico was pretty sure he hadn't done anything to her, so why was Hylla so mad?</p>
<p>“Nico, we should give Reyna some time alone to finish her essay. Besides, I need you to help me figure out some numbers for supplies to Camp Half-Blood,” Hylla said as she stood. Nico nodded and stood.</p>
<p>It was odd that Hylla was asking him for help, but he couldn't just decline it. Nico walked towards Reyna's room since it was the furthest away. He turned towards Hylla.</p>
<p>Hylla closed the door behind them. She spoke, “Yesterday, I was walking to dinner with two of my Amazons. When we stepped inside, we saw a large crowd gathered around an Iris message. Do you know what they were watching?”</p>
<p>“Aphrodite's show,” Nico answered after a moment. He looked up at Hylla and tried to keep himself from being intimidated. Hylla towered over him, and she was probably just as scary as Reyna was when she was angry.</p>
<p>“I watched the van blow up in my sister's face,” Hylla hissed. Her voice quivered because of how angry she was. “Before that, she almost died because of you.”</p>
<p>Nico opened his mouth. Hylla grabbed his jaw and squeezed it tightly. She spoke, “And before that, there was all that crap with the sinkhole and the goddess. Do you see what the problem is? It's you.”</p>
<p>“For some reason, she keeps getting hurt around you Greeks,” Hylla hissed. “She wouldn't even have been at your stupid camp yesterday if you weren't such an idiot!”</p>
<p>“What are you talking about?” Nico demanded as he pulled away from Hylla's grasp. He didn't want to lose his patience, but Hylla was pushing it.</p>
<p>“You couldn't keep your stupid mouth shut,” Hylla snapped. “I know she told you about our father. You should have known the effect that your words would have!”</p>
<p>“I made a mistake,” Nico yelled suddenly. The anger just came out. Before Nico could say anything else, he found himself slammed into the wall. Hylla's forearm pressed against his throat, and it became really hard to breath.</p>
<p>“You hurt my little sister,” Hylla hissed. “We were going to have lunch yesterday. She was too angry and injured to go, and she got the assignment from the Senate instead. You're the reason she was attacked.”</p>
<p>Nico looked down and closed his eyes. He didn't want to hurt Reyna, and he certainly didn't need Hylla to yell at him about it. The door opened.</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” Reyna demanded. The forearm moved from Nico's throat, and he opened his eyes. Reyna shoved her sister back angrily.</p>
<p>“Did you tell him?” Hylla asked in a soft voice. Reyna didn't respond. “I thought so. Why didn't you tell your best friend how close you were to death?”</p>
<p>“What?” Nico demanded. His mind was racing. When he had pulled Reyna away from the wreckage, she was nowhere near death. He could sense that.</p>
<p>“One centimeter,” Hylla said. “If one of Reyna's broken ribs went a centimeter more to the right, it would have tore right through her lung, and there would have been no way to repair the damage. Do you both understand how lucky you are?”</p>
<p>Nico stared at Reyna. He felt terrible. This was his fault, and there was nothing he could do to make up for it. Reyna met his eyes then looked away.</p>
<p>“Go and do your report,” Hylla ordered. Reyna opened her mouth. “Go!”</p>
<p>Reyna visibly flinched as her sister yelled. Her eyes instantly went out of focus, and it was almost like she was having a flashback. Nico slowly grabbed Reyna's arm. She was shaking slightly.</p>
<p>“I'm sorry,” Hylla whispered as she gently grabbed Reyna's shoulder. Reyna pulled away from both of them. She stormed out of the room.</p>
<p>Nico heard another door slam shut. He closed his eyes knowing Reyna had locked herself in the bathroom. Hylla cursed angrily and walked towards the bathroom. She knocked on the door.</p>
<p>“I didn't mean it,” Hylla said. When no response was given, she laid her head against the door. “Reyna, you need to come out, okay? I know you're remembering him. Let me help.”</p>
<p>“She needs to be alone,” Nico whispered. He gently grabbed Hylla's arm. This is how Nico would act. He wouldn't want anyone's help at the moment. Reyna needed to have time to calm down.</p>
<p>Hylla studied him for a long moment. Then, she pulled her arm from him and stalked away. Nico sighed sadly as he sat against the wall. Hylla's words ran through his head, and each one felt like a punch to the gut. Nico closed his eyes miserably and sat there in silence.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Book Report Part Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nico's strategy of sitting there and waiting lasted about twenty seconds. Originally, he thought Reyna just needed a few moments, and then, she would walk out completely fine. That all changed when he heard her starting to hyperventilate. Nico had no way of knowing it would turn into a full blown panic attack.</p>
<p>When the realization hit him, he was on his feet in a second. Nico grabbed the door knob and tried to open it. The door didn't budge. He wanted to slam his shoulder into the door but managed to stop himself. Nico didn't want to freak Reyna out anymore.</p>
<p>“Reyna, can you hear me?” Nico asked as he leaned on the door. He still messed with the door knob. No response was given besides Reyna hitting something and her panicked breathing.</p>
<p>“I would appreciate it if you unlocked the door,” Nico continued. For a moment, he wondered where Hylla was. It seemed unlikely that she would abandon her sister. His answer came when someone grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away.</p>
<p>“She can't hear you,” Hylla muttered holding a small bag in her hands. After grabbing tools from the bag, she knelt in front of the door and started to pick the lock. “Reyna is having a panic attack and maybe a flashback. I shouldn't have yelled at her.”</p>
<p>“I've never seen Reyna like that,” Nico whispered. Hylla stopped for a moment and sighed deeply. Her hands were shaking slightly.</p>
<p>“It's because of me,” Hylla muttered. “I remind her of our father. When she is with other people, he is out of sight and out of mind, but I bring it back. When I yell at her like that, there is a chance it will bring her back to one of those nights, especially since it's around the anniversary of his death.”</p>
<p>Nico remained silent as Hylla finished picking the lock. She tried to push the door open, but it didn't budge. Hylla took a deep breath, and it seemed like she was trying to calm herself.</p>
<p>“Reyna, you need to move from the door,” Hylla began. Her grip tightened on the handle, she pressed her head into the door. “Please.”</p>
<p>Hylla tried to open the door again. Her jaw clenched when there was no budge. She spoke, “Reyna, you need to move, or I will force this door open.”</p>
<p>“Don't threaten her,” Nico snapped. Hylla glared at him, and it seemed like the glare could melt him on the spot. Nico met her eyes and didn't back down.</p>
<p>“Don't raise your voice,” Hylla whispered. “It will freak her out more. Right now, Reyna is a time bomb. We need to keep our cool, okay?”</p>
<p>Hylla took a deep breath and forced the door open. It flew open and slammed into the wall. Reyna visibly flinched. She was leaning against the counter and trying to take deep breaths. It wasn't working which made her breathing turn into hyperventilating.</p>
<p>“Reyna, it's okay,” Hylla whispered. She grabbed her little sister's arm. In the next moment, Hylla's face was slammed into the sink. Nico winced as he heard the sound of a nose shattering.</p>
<p>“Don't touch me!” Reyna yelled. She collapsed against the counter and slowly slid to the ground. Reyna brought her knees to her chest and rested her head against them. She started to cry miserably.</p>
<p>Nico stared for a long moment. He had never seen Reyna like this. She was usually so strong and in control of herself. Nico had to be there for her though. He glanced at Hylla. The queen of the Amazons had both hands to her bloody nose. It was hard to read her expression, but she didn't look upset.</p>
<p>Reyna's cries brought him back to reality. Nico slowly walked towards her and knelt by her. He went to grab Reyna's arm, but he quickly stopped himself. She didn't want to be touched, so he would respect her wishes.</p>
<p>“Can you hear me?” Nico asked in the calmest voice that he could manage. His own hands were shaking.</p>
<p>“Leave me alone,” Reyna cried. Her shoulder were shaking as she cried miserably. It sounded like she was also struggling to catch her breath. Reyna seemed like she was trying to force herself to stop crying, but all it caused was for her to start hyperventilating again.</p>
<p>“I can't leave you alone right now,” Nico whispered. “I'm here for you, okay? Hylla is too. Please take slow breaths.”</p>
<p>Reyna sounded like she was trying to follow his advice, but it wasn't working. Her breathing became even more panicked. She spoke, “I don't want to hurt you. Please just go away.”</p>
<p>“You would never hurt me,” Nico said. “Reyna, you know that.”</p>
<p>“I killed my father. What makes you different?” Reyna mumbled. Her breathing started to become controlled, but her shoulders were still shaking as she cried. “I don't want to turn on you or Hylla.”</p>
<p>“You're not going to,” Hylla interrupted. She knelt by Reyna's other side. “Father gave you no choice. You acted instinctively. That is something that you will never do to us.”</p>
<p>Reyna slowly looked at them. She wiped her nose and tried to wipe her eyes. When Hylla went to grab her arm, Reyna flinched. Hylla lowered her hand. It wasn't hard to miss the hurt on her face.</p>
<p>“You are not going to hurt your friends,” Hylla promised. “Please don't think that.”</p>
<p>After a few moment of staring at her older sister, Reyna nodded. She laid her head back, but her breathing became more panicked. Reyna spoke, “What if he came back?”</p>
<p>“What?” Nico asked. He glanced at Hylla confused. There was a look of understanding on her face.</p>
<p>“Father did not come back,” Hylla promised. She looked like she wanted to grab Reyna's arm and was barely stopping herself. “I promise you that he didn't.”</p>
<p>“You don't know,” Reyna hissed. “He could have returned when the Doors of Death were opened. I can't do it again. I can't stand to face him.”</p>
<p>“Mother would tell us,” Hylla argued. “Nico would be able to tell. Even if he did, we would protect you. Your friends will take care of you, understood? There is no way he would get near you.”</p>
<p>“He would find a way,” Reyna whispered. Her breathing was calmer. Nico took that as a sign that she was calming down. He brought his hand close to Reyna's arm but didn't grab it. When she looked him in the eyes and gave him a nod, he gently grabbed her arm.</p>
<p>Reyna watched him for a moment before she laid her head against her knees. She spoke, “Hylla, I'm so sorry about attacking you. I didn't mean for it to happen.”</p>
<p>“I'm the one who should be apologizing,” Hylla said. “I yelled at you and started all of this. I'm sorry.”</p>
<p>Reyna nodded slightly. She looked up at them. Hylla wiped some tears from her face. The queen of the Amazons stood and helped Reyna stand.</p>
<p>For a moment, Reyna watched them. She then hugged Hylla tightly and started to cry into her shoulder. Hylla looked surprised by the action, but she returned the hug and rubbed Reyna's back.</p>
<p>Nico watched for a few moments. He then decided that it would be best to leave the two sisters alone. Nico gently squeezed Reyna's shoulder. He rubbed her back for a moment and walked out of the room.</p>
<p>A glance to his left showed Aurum and Argentum waiting by the bathroom door. They seemed to be ready to jump to Reyna's side at a moment's notice. Nico walked into the living room.</p>
<p>He sat down on the couch and stared at the ground. Hopefully, Hylla would be able to calm Reyna down. It still bothered Nico that Reyna had snapped like that.</p>
<p>Nico was upset that he didn't notice how Reyna felt before. He was suppose to be her best friend, but, someone, he missed it. Nico laid his head back against the couch feeling terrible.</p>
<p>Nico closed his eyes and just listened. It took minutes, but Reyna's cries slowly calmed down till there was silence. Nico opened his eyes as he heard footsteps. Hylla met his eyes.</p>
<p>“She fell asleep,” Hylla said. She sat by Nico and rubbed her eyes. “I laid her down in bed.”</p>
<p>Hylla sighed and grabbed Reyna's laptop. She opened the laptop and glanced through Reyna's book report. Nico glanced at it and saw Reyna only had two pages done.</p>
<p>“She just loves to procrastinate,” Hylla muttered. She glanced at Nico. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but Hylla just looked back at the laptop. “Have you ever read this book?”</p>
<p>“What book is it?” Nico asked. Instead of answering, Hylla just tossed him the book. That would have been fine, but the title was in Latin. Nico stared at Hylla. “I can't read Latin.”</p>
<p>“I'm sorry, okay,” Hylla said. Nico stared at her in surprise. “I'm sorry for yelling at you, but it kills me that she keeps getting hurt. When she is at Camp Jupiter or Camp Half-Blood, I can't be there to help her. That literally kills me.”</p>
<p>“It kills me too,” Nico said. “I hate that she always gets hurt when I'm around or because of me.”</p>
<p>Hylla nodded. She took the book and skimmed through it. Hylla cleared her throat and spoke, “Don't tell anyone I apologized to a boy.”</p>
<p>“I won't,” Nico promised. “And, I forgive you.”</p>
<p>Hylla smirked slightly. She spoke, “For a boy, you're not so bad.”</p>
<p>“If I tell anyone you said that, you will kill me,” Nico guessed. Hylla's smirk grew, and she nodded.</p>
<p>“Reyna has you trained well,” Hylla responded. “Now, you can be quiet while I work on this report. With a little luck, she won't fail.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Probation I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Considering she had spent the day before reflecting over her breakdown, Reyna wasn't in the mood for a lecture, especially one from a washed up Lar. It took a deep breath to force her gaze off of the wall in front of her. She forced her eyes to look at the Lar.</p>
<p>The only real indication of Reyna's anger was her clenched fist. Her face was still neutral, but that was taking up all of her willpower. Since her fist were clenched so tightly, she could feel her nails digging into her palms.</p>
<p>“And,” the Lar continued. He had been ranting for the past five minutes, but Reyna didn't remember anything that he had said. It was all garbled noise in her ear. Of course, the Lar didn't care. He usually kept away from everyone, unless he could find the opportunity to yell at them. “Is this what happens when you are the only praetor at this camp?”</p>
<p>“No sir,” Reyna said through gritted teeth. Her jaw was starting to ache from how clenched it was. Since she was the only praetor at the moment, she was getting all the blame for her camper's stupidity. She just wished that Frank had picked a different day to go on his date with Hazel.</p>
<p>“Then, why did this happen?” the Lar wondered. He paced back and forth as if it would add dramatic effect. “How did the campers get the supplies to have a paintball fight in the temple of Jupiter? This is the second paintball fight in this camp, is it not?”</p>
<p>“Yes sir,” Reyna muttered. She took a deep breath to contain her anger. The Lar's lecture meant nothing to her, but she was scared to see how Lupa would react. A glance to her right showed that Lupa wasn't reacting at all. She was just watching.</p>
<p>“So why does this keep happening?” the Lar demanded. It almost sounded like he was trying to yell himself out of existence. Reyna remained silent. “Are you just going to stand there and not answer me? Are you blind to what is going on at your camp?”</p>
<p>“No sir,” Reyna muttered. It was so degrading to have to call the Lar sir. He didn't deserve to be called that. He was just trying to look important in front of Lupa. In fact, Reyna wouldn't be enduring this, if Lupa wasn't there.</p>
<p>Reyna glanced at Lupa again. The goddess had paint covering her forehead from where one of the Romans had hit her. She had originally been there doing surprise inspections. Reyna was ninety percent sure that the Fates were laughing at her right now.</p>
<p>It was hard to find the worst part. Lupa was angry at her. The entire thing would be blamed on Reyna. The Lar would not shut up. Reyna gritted her teeth even more than she had earlier. Her dentist was going to hate her.</p>
<p>Reyna, in the first place, didn't like to get yelled at. It was even worse for some Lar with no authority to do it. The Lar took a deep breath again. His voice, thank the gods, was starting to go out. He cleared his throat.</p>
<p>“Information had to be passed from camper to camper,” the Lar continued. “Since this crime involved all five cohorts, it seems impossible that you did not catch wind of it. How can you call yourself a praetor?”</p>
<p>“Enough,” Lupa growled. She took a step forward and looked Reyna in the eyes. “As of right now, you are on probation. I will personally review everything that has happened here while you have been in charge. Until I come to a decision, I want you on vacation.”</p>
<p>Those words hurt. Reyna opened her mouth, but Lupa growled. Reyna finally just looked down at the ground and nodded. She spoke, “Yes ma'am.”</p>
<p>“Go,” Lupa growled. Reyna turned and walked out of the Senator House. She saw that most of the campers had gathered to watch, but she didn't meet their eyes. Reyna shoved past them and walked towards her house.</p>
<p>Being praetor was all she cared about. She was terrified of losing the position. Reyna tried to stop the panic forming in her chest. It became hard to breath, but she forced her mind to focus on something else. Her thoughts turned to Nico.</p>
<p>If there was a bright side, it was that she could spend time with Nico, but it was a very small bright side. They had not spoken since Reyna's breakdown. She knew that Nico didn't judge her, but it was hard to be that vulnerable around anyone.</p>
<p>Reyna made it to her house and stepped inside. Aurum and Argentum rushed to her side. Reyna spoke, “Stop.”</p>
<p>Aurum and Argentum both stopped in their tracks. They sat down and waited patiently for orders. Reyna raised her fist and turned towards the nearest wall. It took her a moment to lower her fist and press her head against the wall.</p>
<p>Her life seemed to be spiraling out of control, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Reyna took a deep breath and walked towards her room. She snapped her fingers, and her dogs were behind her a moment later.</p>
<p>Reyna stepped into her room and threw clothes into a duffel bag. When that was done, she grabbed a few daggers and another sword. She hoped that she could participate in capture the flag. That would be a good distraction.</p>
<p>“Hey Reyna,” a voice greeted. Reyna glanced at the Iris message near her. Nico's face took up most of the Iris message, but it was clear that he was sitting on his bed. As their eyes met, Nico grinned. “How are you doing?”</p>
<p>“Probation,” Reyna muttered. She sat on her bed. “Lupa made me go on vacation, and I just spent the last ten minutes being yelled at. So, I am doing terrible.”</p>
<p>The Iris message ended a moment later. Reyna closed her eyes and silently counted to ten. When she finished counting, she opened her eyes. Nico was stumbling out of the shadows. Reyna easily caught him.</p>
<p>“You're getting slower,” Reyna commented. She sat Nico down but didn't meet his eyes. “It usually takes you eight seconds.”</p>
<p>“I'm not awake yet,” Nico said with a shrug. He watched her for a long time. “Want to talk about it?”</p>
<p>“About what?” Reyna muttered. She sat near Nico and brought her knees to her chest. Reyna wrapped her arms around her knees and sighed tiredly. “I feel like my life is spiraling out of control, and there is nothing that I can do to stop it.”</p>
<p>Nico didn't respond. He just sat there and waited for her to speak. After a minute of silence, Reyna laid back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She spoke, “Ever since I have been praetor, it seems like everything bad has happened. I want people to reflect back on me and think of how much of an amazing praetor I was.”</p>
<p>“I don't want everyone to revere me. I just want them to know that I have done everything to protect this camp. I would lay my life down for everyone here, but that gets overshadowed by all of these things that are happening,” Reyna muttered.</p>
<p>“Maybe, I do need a break,” Reyna continued. She rubbed her face. “It might be nice to have the weight of the camp off my shoulders, but what if Lupa removes me from being praetor? I can't handle that.”</p>
<p>“Reyna, that is not going to happen,” Nico promised. “You are the best praetor that Camp Jupiter has ever had.”</p>
<p>“You need me for the capture the flag,” Reyna assumed. Nico shrugged. Reyna smiled and took a deep breath. “Thank you. Want to help me finish packing?”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Nico answered. He rolled off of the bed and laid on the ground. Nico dug under the bed and pulled out a bow and arrow. “Is this all of your weapon needs?”</p>
<p>“I can probably just borrow anything I'm missing,” Reyna commented. She walked towards her bathroom and started to shoved items off of her sink and into her hand. Then, it was a simple matter of carrying the items back to her duffel bag.</p>
<p>“How hard are you going to train?” Nico wondered. Reyna looked at him and smirked. “My guess is very hard.”</p>
<p>“It will be nice to get back some of my lost muscle,” Reyna commented. Nico stared at her and opened his mouth. “What? I still have my six pack, but my biceps are a little flabby.”</p>
<p>“You are literally rock solid,” Nico commented. He even sounded a little jealous. Reyna grinned and finished packing her duffel bag. She then slipped it over her shoulder.</p>
<p>Reyna heard her dogs rush into the room. They could sense that her mood had shifted, and they were excited to see Nico. The son of Hades had no chance as the two dogs slammed into him and knocked him to the ground.</p>
<p>“Help,” Nico pleaded. Aurum and Argentum were busy licking his face. Reyna smiled and casually stretched. She studied the scene in front of her.</p>
<p>“Off,” Reyna said, but there was no authority to her words. She was enjoying watching Nico struggle. After thirty more seconds, Reyna pulled her dogs off of Nico. “Should I bring these two with me?”</p>
<p>Nico used his shirt to wipe his face. He spoke, “Yes. I think it will do them some good. They can play with Hades.”</p>
<p>“Has your dad killed you for naming your hellhound after him?” Reyna asked. She looked at her dogs. “You two are going to meet me at Camp Half-Blood. Be gentle with the hellhound.”</p>
<p>Her dogs sat down and stared up at her. Reyna turned the lights off, and she held her hand out for Nico. He gently grabbed it. Before Reyna could blink, they were shadow traveling.</p>
<p>Shadow traveling didn't really effect Reyna anympre, so she simply blinked till her eyes were adjusted to the dark. Reyna took a step forward and tripped right over something. She managed to roll through the fall and turn around.</p>
<p>“Show off,” Nico commented. He picked up his hellhound and smiled. Hades the Hellhound licked his face before yapping. “I think Hades has to go the bathroom.”</p>
<p>The sheer ridiculousness of the sentence made Reyna grin. She spoke, “I should probably tell Chiron that I just appeared at his camp unannounced, shouldn't I?”</p>
<p>“I'll go with you,” Nico replied. Reyna smiled and dropped her duffel bag on Nico's bed. As she grabbed the cabin door, her hand gripped the door in anger. “You okay?”</p>
<p>“Just thinking about capture the flag,” Reyna replied. She opened the door and glared a hole in the ground. It was getting harder to pretend her anger wasn't there. “After I talk to Chiron, I'm going to spar.”</p>
<p>“Reyna, are you sure that nothing is wrong with you?” Nico questioned. He stepped out of the cabin but watched her closely. Hades struggled in his arms.</p>
<p>“If there was something wrong, I would tell you, wouldn't I?” Reyna asked. Nico watched her for a moment before nodding. Reyna closed the cabin door. “I'll meet up with you, once I'm doing talking to Chiron.”</p>
<p>“If you don't kill me, I'll spar,” Nico volunteered. Reyna grinned and walked towards the Big House. She kept her eyes ahead and tried to hide her anger. It was something that Nico didn't need to be burdened with. He already dealt with her breakdown, and he shouldn't have to deal with anything else.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Probation II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Reyna lowered her cup of hot chocolate and looked at Chiron. She had just finished telling him about what had happened at Camp Jupiter. It was odd that she was so much younger than him, but he treated her like an equal. Reyna sighed tiredly and closed her eyes.</p>
<p>Talking with Chiron had helped dissipate her anger. Now, she just felt depressed. All she could think of was losing her position as praetor. It was something that she would not be able to stand. Reyna opened her eyes after a moment.</p>
<p>“I am sure Lupa will not demote you,” Chiron said. He smiled gently at her. “You should just take a deep breath and try to relax. Camp Half-Blood is completely open to you. It will be a nice experience for the others to be able to meet and mingle with a praetor. Try not to scare them too much.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Reyna said. She took another sip of hot chocolate and stared ahead. It would be nice to spar with a child of Ares again or even Jackson. There was a good chance she would see Jason and beat him in a sparring session, for the hundredth time.</p>
<p>Reyna blinked and tried to think of other things she could do. Lupa could have her decision in a hour, or she could have it in a week. It all depended on her mood and how much she wanted to make Reyna sweat. That meant Reyna needed some kind of plan, so boredom wouldn't kill her.</p>
<p>“Is capture the flag happening soon?” Reyna questioned. It would fun to throw herself into the game and forget about everything else. She also wanted to crush Annabeth and prove that she was the better daughter of war. Reyna found herself smirking at the thought.</p>
<p>“Tonight,” Chiron replied. “It is a surprise to the campers. We have a special guest, and she wanted to test her group against ours. She assured me that no one would die. I hope that her promise stays true.”</p>
<p>“I thought that the Hunters of Diana had played capture the flag before,” Reyna commented. She could have sworn that was a thing. Of course, the Hunters could just be testing themselves against Camp Half-Blood again. Would Reyna be allowed to play with them, or would, gods forbid, she have to team with the Greeks?</p>
<p>Reyna heard the door open behind them. Out of curiosity, she turned and found her answer. Her older sister stared back at her. It took one second for Reyna to leave her chair and hug her sister tightly. Hylla seemed surprised, but she hugged Reyna back.</p>
<p>“You're pretty touchy today,” Hylla commented. Her grip was comforting, and Reyna was realized it had been a long time since she hugged her sister without yelling at her beforehand. “How are you feeling?”</p>
<p>“Better,” Reyna promised. She pulled away and watched her older sister. “You finally decided to visit Camp Half-Blood? I thought you were too good for them.”</p>
<p>“I wasn't really considering it, but I received a push,” Hylla answered. “Do you remember how Kinzie's aunt lives in New York? It turns out that Kinzie's cousin is a demigod, so we visited to give her an escort to the camp. I told some of the Amazons to meet us. It was a spur of the moment thing.”</p>
<p>“I'm surprised you didn't try to recruit her,” Reyna commented. She followed her sister back to the table. Reyna grabbed her mug of hot chocolate, but her sister stole it from her hands. Hylla grinned and drained the rest of the mug. “That was literally the worst thing you have ever done to me.”</p>
<p>“It's just hot chocolate,” Hylla said. Reyna scoffed and shook her head. She sat down and leaned back in the chair. It took her a few moments to find a relaxing position. Hylla sat by her and propped her legs up on Reyna's lap.</p>
<p>“How is Nia adjusting?” Chiron questioned. He had watched their exchange silently and almost seemed a little amused. Hylla looked at him and leaned back in her seat. “I assume that her cabin greeted her well.”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Hylla replied. A smirk came to her face “They're just a bunch of nerds. I doubt they're going to have a brutal initiation for newbies, unless it's reading some boring book. Worse, it could be a lesson about being Greek.”</p>
<p>Reyna hit her sister's leg. Her sister laughed and gave Chiron a smile. Reyna spoke, “Is Nia's father an Olympian?”</p>
<p>“No,” Hylla answered. “Athena's her mom. Kinzie's aunt adopted Nia about ten years ago. For your information, we did try to recruit Nia, but Kinzie's aunt wouldn't have any of it. She said something about how the Amazons were running a capitalist business that was enslaving hard working Americans by taking their money in exchange for terrible products. What are you doing here though?”</p>
<p>“Probation,” Reyna muttered. She looked down at her sister's legs. After a moment of playing with the laces on her sister's boots, she sighed. “Some of my campers were playing paintball, and Lupa got hit by some of the paint. In response, Lupa sent me here on probation and is debating if I'm worth keeping</p>
<p>“The Amazons are always an option,” Hylla commented. Reyna gave her a wolf's glare. Those were not the words she needed to hear. Her sister raised her hands in mock surrender. “I was just reminding you. It's always good to keep your options open.”</p>
<p>“You say that about dating too,” Reyna muttered. She rubbed her face. Hylla wanted her to date someone, so she could give them the big sister lecture. It had always been Hylla's dream to threaten whoever Reyna dated. She decided it was time to shift gears. “Where are the Amazons staying?”</p>
<p>“Artemis was kind enough to allow the Amazons to stay in her cabin,” Chiron answered. “It should have enough room for all of the Amazons. Praetor, you could stay with them or in the Ares' cabin. I think they will make you feel welcome, and you are more than welcome to join capture the flag.”</p>
<p>Reyna looked at Chiron in interest. She rubbed her chin in thought and saw a smirk growing on her sister's face. On one hand, they could absolutely destroy the unsuspecting Greeks, if they worked together. On the other hand, it would be so sweet to take Hylla and her ego down a notch.</p>
<p>“I'm sure I can find a place for you in our plans,” Hylla commented. She laughed to herself. “We are going to destroy these Greeks. It's going to be pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.”</p>
<p>“What if I work with the Greeks?” Reyna questioned. Hylla instantly lost her smirk and crossed her arms. She stared at Reyna for a very long time. Silence blanketed the room. As Chiron watched the sisters, he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.</p>
<p>“I'm sorry,” Hylla said. She sat forward. “I don't think I heard you correctly. “It sounded like you wanted to work with the Greeks, and by doing that, you would go against me. That's crazy, right? Because, I would completely and utterly destroy you.”</p>
<p>That totally settled it. Reyna was going to take her sister down. She stood and spoke, “If you weren't so cocky, Annabeth wouldn't know that the Amazons are going against Camp Half-Blood for capture the flag, and she wouldn't know your weaknesses.”</p>
<p>“No one knows that we'll be playing tonight,” Hylla said. She smirked, but understanding dawned on her face. “Oh, you wouldn't dare, Reyna. I have been looking forward to the shocked look on her face. I wanted to see all of them running around to make a plan. You will not ruin that for me.”</p>
<p>“Shouldn't have been so cocky,” Reyna taunted. She backed towards the door and opened it. Hylla quickly stood. “That belt might make you stronger than me, but I'm faster. I think I can get the sentence out, before you catch me.”</p>
<p>“Do you want to bet on that?” Hylla demanded. She looked at Chiron and smiled. “Thank you for allowing the Amazons to visit Camp Half-Blood. The rest will be here about dinner time. Thank you again. I'm going to chase my sister now.”</p>
<p>Reyna laughed and opened the door. She jumped down the stairs and took of running towards Athena's cabin. A few of the campers stared at her, but Reyna paid them no attention. All of her focus was on making it to Annabeth before her sister could stop her.</p>
<p>Reyna stopped in front of Athena's cabin and looked inside. When she didn't see Annabeth, she closed her eyes and accepted the pain that was about to hit her. Hylla slammed into her a moment later and pinned her to the ground. She covered Reyna's mouth and looked down at her.</p>
<p>“What did we learn?” Hylla asked. She sat on Reyna's chest and smirked. Reyna glared up at her sister. “Tonight, I am going to kick ass in capture the flag. If you don't side with me, I will find you, defeat you in combat, and tie you to a tree.”</p>
<p>Reyna licked her sister's hand. Hylla moved her hand away and gave her a confused look. Reyna tried to shove her sister away, but she had no luck. Reyna spoke, “Are you going to get off of me?”</p>
<p>“I'm good,” Hylla said. She waved to a few campers that passed by them and stared. “Look at their happy faces. They have no clue what is going to happen tonight. Hey, what kind of food do they have here?”</p>
<p>“The kind of food you eat,” Reyna muttered. Her sister punched her hard in the shoulder. “Jerk. That's gonna leave a bruise. This only makes me want to take you down more.”</p>
<p>Hylla sighed and stood. She held her hand out, and Reyna took it. Hylla spoke, “Seriously, I want to work together. If there's a rematch tomorrow or if you're here another time, you can team with the Greeks. I just want to be able to work with you again. It's a guaranteed victory.”</p>
<p>“Alright,” Reyna said. She sighed dramatically. “I guess it would be nice to team with you again, and Annabeth thinks she is better than us, since she's a daughter of Athena. The look on their faces would be hilarious as well. Do you think you can keep up with me?”</p>
<p>Hylla punched her shoulder again. She smirked and turned around. Reyna turned to see Annabeth and Percy walking towards them. They both seemed surprised by Hylla. Annabeth spoke, “What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>“Visiting,” Hylla replied. “You have a new cabin member, who's related to Kinzie. Don't be too mean to her. Some Amazons will be here later too, and I'm sure they'll love to meet you. Until then, I think my sister and I are going to spar.”</p>
<p>“It's nice to see you again,” Percy commented. Annabeth nodded her agreement. Hylla smirked and wrapped an arm around Reyna. “What are you guys planning on doing tonight? We could all hang out.”</p>
<p>“We don't have any special plans,” Reyna said. She smiled at the two. “I'm sure that the four of us can all find something to do. Until then, you guys should relax. Something tells me that tonight is going to be exciting.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. CTF: Amazons Vs Greeks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nico really thought that Annabeth's head was going to explode. Chiron had dropped the bombshell on them that the Amazons were competing against Camp Half-Blood in capture the flag. As soon as the words left Chiron's mouth, Annabeth pulled her friends close and started barking out orders.</p>
<p>The only thing Nico could do was nod and do as he was told. Annabeth had put a flag in the middle of the clearing and demanded that two of their nastiest, powerful, and ruthless demigods protect it. Naturally, Clarisse immediately stepped up to the challenge. Percy also agreed to guard the flag.</p>
<p>Technically, they were only suppose to have two demigods guarding the flag, and at first glance, it seemed like Annabeth was following that rule. She would call it a coincidence that every child of Ares were just chilling around the outside of the clearing, and those children of Ares would swear that they had just seen an Amazon around and couldn't seem to locate them.</p>
<p>Nico knew the biggest problem with Annabeth's plan was that she didn't know what to do about the two daughters of Bellona. Being surprised with capture the flag meant that Annabeth couldn't call Jason or anyone else from Camp Jupiter for advice. Nico had fought beside and against Reyna, but it wasn't her combat skills he was worried about. It was her brain.</p>
<p>Annabeth could make battle plans in an instant. She could name random facts about anything. Annabeth was extremely intelligent, but Nico knew Reyna's brain worked a little differently. There was times that Reyna just watched the other demigods spar, and she seemed to quickly pick up on their fighting style. She always seemed to know how to beat them.</p>
<p>Athena was a great goddess of war. Nico couldn't deny that, especially since he would probably be eviscerated on the spot. Bellona was the Roman goddess of war though. Her children were just on a different level, even if Annabeth refused to believe that.</p>
<p>“Are we going to talk about our other problem?” Piper asked. She was walking with Nico and Annabeth through the forest. They had yet to cross the boundary line and look for the Amazons' flag. The three would walk five steps, Annabeth would hold up a hand, and they would stand there awkwardly. For the past twenty minutes, that was all they had been doing.</p>
<p>“You're right,” Annabeth muttered. She looked around quickly and motioned for everyone to move in closer. Nico blinked a few times and stared. He slowly leaned in closer. “What do we know about Hylla?”</p>
<p>“She's a daughter of Bellona, which means she's good at fighting,” Piper said. Awkward silence passed between the three once again. Nico looked at the two and realized they knew nothing about Hylla. Would the queen of the Amazons take a caution approach or rush the Greeks? How good at fighting was she?</p>
<p>“Her belt makes her stronger,” Nico added. That was all he had. The three stood once again, and Annabeth huffed. Nico knew that she hated to be in the dark. He smiled slightly and looked down at the ground. “Hylla has a temper too, and she's always bickering with her sister.”</p>
<p>“If we can get those two to get in an argument, we can distract them and get the flag,” Annabeth. She smiled and quickly made her way to the boundary line. “We need to divide and conquer all of the Amazons and fast.”</p>
<p>Nico nodded slightly. He knew that Chiron had let the Amazon use Greek armor, and the plumes on their helmets were red. All they could do was keep an eye out for anything red and hope that they got lucky. Piper looked at them and spoke, “Would they be on defense or offense?”</p>
<p>“One of them has to be guarding the flag,” Annabeth said. She bit her lip and seemed to be thinking overtime. It almost seemed like smoke would be coming out from her ears. “It would probably be Hylla, since she doesn't know this forest at all. Reyna did participate in one game before. Who knows how many times she has walked this forest. Unless, Hylla's ego takes over.”</p>
<p>Nico shook his head, and they finally made it towards the boundary. He was glad they were finally going to start the action. As Nico went to step into the water, Annabeth grabbed his arm. A sigh escaped as he turned to where she was pointing.</p>
<p>Nico stared at a person who was sitting against the tree. Their head was practically resting on their chest, and they seemed to be either unconscious or asleep. Nico couldn't see their features, due to their helmet and the shadow a tree cast on them, so he couldn't tell if they were hurt. They had a friendly, blue plume on their helmet though. Chiron was only a few feet from them, and he didn't seem to be too concerned.</p>
<p>“I swear to the gods that children of Hypnos can sleep through anything,” Annabeth muttered. Nico snorted. Annabeth shot him a dangerous look. Nico smiled meekly. He was remembering a time that Clovis had found the flag of the opposite team, and when he was halfway back to the boundary line, he fell asleep. They didn't find him until a hour after the game.</p>
<p>Annabeth stared to walk towards the children of Hypnos. She finally shook her head and focused back on the boundary line. Annabeth walked across it and looked around. Nico glanced back at the child of Hypnos. They would be fine, hopefully.</p>
<p>Nico focused on stepping across the boundary line. He didn't ever really get into capture the flag, but if they were going to win, he knew they needed to get in the Amazon's territory. They couldn't just stand there and wait for something to happen. It would also be nice to have bragging rights against Reyna.</p>
<p>They heard the sound of a branch snapping. Nico turned back towards the boundary line and saw Hylla appear from the treeline. Hylla stopped for a moment and looked at them. She held their flag in her right hand and had clearly been running.</p>
<p>Hylla glanced at the child of Hypnos that was asleep next to the tree. Then, she took off towards the creek. Piper had yet to step over the boundary, so she tried to tackle Hylla. The daughter of Aphrodite ended up getting shove backwards like she weighed nothing more than a piece of paper.</p>
<p>Annabeth ran towards Hylla, and it looked like she was about to tackle the queen of the Amazons. At the last second, Annabeth dropped towards the ground and took Hylla's legs out from under her. Hylla hit the ground hard, and the flag flew from her hands. It fell to the ground near the boundary line.</p>
<p>Annabeth grabbed Hylla's knife and placed it against Hylla's neck. She kept a knee pressed into Hylla's chest. Annabeth spoke, “Nico and Piper, guard the flag. Where is your sister at?”</p>
<p>“Somewhere,” Hylla answered. Nico could detect the slightest amount of pain in her voice. A glance at her knee showed that part of the armor was dented in. Annabeth didn't seem to notice or care. Her desire to win had taken over everything else.</p>
<p>“I know what you two are planning,” Annabeth warned. Her knife dug into Hylla's neck a little more. Nico could see how close Annabeth was to drawing blood, and he was getting extremely concerned. “You can't outsmart me, Hylla. I know exactly what the two are you are trying to do.”</p>
<p>“Annabeth, you should relax,” Piper began. Hylla only smirked and glanced around the clearing. Nico walked towards them. He grabbed Annabeth's shoulder. She looked at him and slowly lifted the knife.</p>
<p>Annabeth looked around again. Her eyes focused on the child of Hynpos that was still sitting against the tree. Nico was impressed. He had seen them sleep through many things, but they usually woke at the slightest sound of fighting. Annabeth spoke, “Can you stop sleeping for two seconds and grab the flag?”</p>
<p>“Maybe, you should just calm down and not think about what anyone else is doing,” Piper said. She gently grabbed Annabeth's other shoulder. Nico stepped a few feet away and watched Hylla. “You're getting a little intense, and we need to focus.”</p>
<p>“I'll focus, after we find Reyna and get their flag,” Annabeth said. Her eye twitched slightly. Nico took another step back. It was just suppose to be something fun for them to do that involved a little friendly competition. He knew Annabeth wanted to win badly and prove herself, but this was a little too much.</p>
<p>Annabeth took a deep breath. After a moment, she spoke, “Nico, can you please hand off the flag to the child of Hypnos? I don't think that's Clovis, so it's probably Lacy. Piper will take Hylla prisoner, and I will try to find their flag. We'll meet at where we thought they would put the flag.”</p>
<p>Nico nodded and walked towards Lacy. He could have sworn that he saw her asleep on one of the benches back at the pavilion, but she had probably dragged herself over to the forest. Nico started to reach a hand out towards Lacy. He blinked and suddenly found himself on the ground with a mouthful of dirt.</p>
<p>Nico quickly rolled onto his back and looked around. He saw Hylla kick Annabeth into Piper, and the two fell to the ground. Nico looked at the flag and saw the armored person picking it up. Since he was closer, he could tell that definitely wasn't Lacy.</p>
<p>The armored figure stepped across the boundary line. Nico could only watch as the flag turned to black, and a sword crossed with a torch appeared in the middle of it. Reyna slowly took off her helmet and looked at Nico.</p>
<p>“That was pretty pathetic, Chase,” Reyna said. She pressed the flag into the dirt and walked towards her sister. Hylla had a hand to her knee and was gritting her teeth. Reyna knelt by her and started to examine her knee. “That was pretty funny though.”</p>
<p>“You had the easy job,” Hylla muttered. Reyna smirked and pulled her sister to her feet. Hylla winced and hobbled over towards the flag. “It was fun though. I love outsmarting children of Athena.”</p>
<p>“They can't do that,” Annabeth began. She looked at Chiron then back at the daughters of Bellona. Her face was red from anger, and when she tried to speak again, it came out as stutters. Annabeth took a deep breath and glared directly at Reyna. “You can't change your helmet. How are we suppose to know which team you're on?”</p>
<p>“Why do you think I switched helmets?” Reyna questioned. She gave Nico a look, and it was clear she was enjoying her victory over Annabeth. The daughter of Athena looked like her head was going to explode.</p>
<p>“I'm pretty sure the rules were no maiming, flag has to be out in the open with only two guards, and no killing. I think we followed those rules exactly,” Hylla said. She smiled. “I know it's weird to be outsmarted, but when we have rematches, you'll begin to get use to it.”</p>
<p>“When you visit again, I will have revenge,” Annabeth swore. She turned on Reyna and poked a finger into her chest. “I'm assuming you'll be here next week, and I am going to make you pay. Got it?”</p>
<p>Reyna only smirked and didn't say a word. Annabeth turned and stalked away. Reyna glanced at her sister and spoke in Spanish. Hylla laughed and hobbled towards the Amazons that were starting to walk out of the forest.</p>
<p>“Annabeth is going to want to crush you. Are you ready for that?” Nico asked. He moved to Reyna's side and smiled at her. Reyna shrugged slightly and looked at him. “I don't want you to be overconfident.”</p>
<p>“I'll think of something,” Reyna said. She began to lead Nico away, until they were out of earshot of the others. “Should we go get some ice cream and be back before anyone notices we're gone?”</p>
<p>Nico nodded and looked at Reyna. He knew the whole probation deal was bothering Reyna, but she was being quiet about her feelings. Nico wanted to talk to her about it, but he wasn't going to force her to. The most important thing he could do was make her visit fun and keep her from thinking about the probation.</p>
<p>“That would be fun,” Nico said. He smiled and started to lead Reyna towards the shadows. He didn't miss the look of sadness that was starting to take over her eyes. Nico frowned and vowed to himself that he would help Reyna have a great night.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Midnight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Reyna stared up at the ceiling of the Big House, she wondered if the rumors of the mummy in the attic were true. One of the Stolls had mentioned it offhandedly but wouldn't go into more detail. Reyna had spent the day before being congratulated on her capture the flag victory, hanging out with her sister, and sparring, so she really didn't have time to learn about the mummy.</p>
<p>She did learn that it housed the spirit of the Oracle, who was now in Rachel's body. Apparently, the mummy was still up there, and it sometimes moved around at night. Without a spirit in the body, how was the mummy moving? Reyna really hoped the campers of Camp Half-Blood were just trying to mess with her. Reyna heard a noise and quickly looked around. She realized it was just Chiron listening to one of his records and sighed.</p>
<p>Reyna really did try to spend the night in the Ares cabin, but they were just so loud and annoying. They also had landmines laying around the cabin and conveniently forgot to mention it to Reyna. She had almost stepped on three of them. After talking to Chiron, he was more than happy to let her sleep on the couch in the Big House.</p>
<p>Reyna shifted and stared at the ceiling. It had just hit midnight, which meant that she was entering her third day of probation. No message had been sent to her. Reyna sighed and closed her eyes. With each hour that passed, the feeling of despair grew and grew.</p>
<p>Laying there only made Reyna feel worse, so she slowly stood and walked towards the sound of Chiron's music. She assumed that he was awake, and maybe, he would be able to let her in on Lupa's thought process. Nico was probably fast asleep, and she didn't want to wake him up. There was also something about a curfew and Harpies, but she was sure that was another thing the campers were joking about.</p>
<p>Reyna stopped by the closed door and raised her fist. Then, she heard a growl. Reyna instantly recognized the growl and froze, but Lupa wouldn't go to Camp Half-Blood. It was the exact opposite of everything that she was. So, were they talking through an Iris message?</p>
<p>Before she realized what she was doing, Reyna pressed her ear against the door. She felt bad about spying on Chiron, but she wasn't above it. As Reyna focused in on the conversation, Chiron spoke, “I know that I promised to keep quiet about this, but Reyna needs to know.”</p>
<p>Reyna felt her heart sink to her stomach. Had Lupa already made her decision? If so, it sounded like Lupa was going to strip Reyna of her rank. The last praetor to lose their rank was a cannibal. How bad of a leader was Reyna to be compared to that?</p>
<p>“No,” Lupa growled. Reyna looked down at the ground. So, Lupa just wanted to watch her squirm. Was there a chance that Lupa would allow her to redeem herself, or was she just looking for an appropriate replacement? Would Reyna go back to being a centurion or just go back to the bottom of the barrel? “I know what is best for Camp Jupiter, and this is it.”</p>
<p>Reyna closed her eyes and tried to keep listening. Maybe, she was misunderstanding the conversation. Her hope was dashed as Chiron sighed. He spoke, “As you wish, Lupa. I will not tell a word to Reyna, and I will keep her here as long as you need.”</p>
<p>Lupa growled a goodbye, and the music ended. Reyna held her breath and slowly took a few steps backwards. The wood creaked slightly, but she kept walking backwards. Reyna turned and walked towards the couch. She collapsed onto it and placed her hands to her face.</p>
<p>Reyna heard the creaking of floorboards above her, and through her fingers, she watched dust fall from the ceiling. It seemed like someone, or something, was walking around above her. It seemed like the Greeks weren't kidding about the mummy. Maybe, it would come downstairs and put her out of her misery.</p>
<p>The creaking grew louder, and it sounded like someone was making their way downstairs. Reyna lowered her hands and watched a door open. Annabeth stepped out of the doorway and looked around. She seemed surprised to see Reyna, but there was no missing the scowl set on her face.</p>
<p>“I thought you were the mummy,” Reyna muttered. She stared up at the ceiling. Besides Nico and Chiron, no one at Camp Half-Blood knew about her probation. She wanted to keep it quiet, so no one would ask her any prying questions or worry about her. “The others said that she likes to get up and move around.”</p>
<p>“Only when you're sleeping,” Annabeth said. Despite the fact that it sounded like she was making a joke, Annabeth seemed extremely upset. Her jaw was clenched, and there almost seemed like she had tears of frustration in her eyes. “I thought you were sleeping in the Ares cabin.”</p>
<p>“I like being alone,” Reyna admitted. She sat up and made room for Annabeth. It took Annabeth a moment to sit by Reyna and sigh tiredly. “It was kind of awkward as well. Children of Ares are just savages. They're worse than children of Athena.”</p>
<p>Annabeth didn't smile at the joke or show any emotion. Her attention all seemed to be focused on something else. Reyna glanced at Annabeth and tried to figure out why she was upset. It didn't seem like Annabeth and Percy had gotten into a fight, but they could have.</p>
<p>“You're been avoiding me all day,” Reyna commented. She crossed her arms and stared at the ground. Lupa was going to strip her of her praetorship, and there was nothing that Reyna could do about it. She was stuck sitting at Camp Half-Blood trying to figure out why Annabeth was upset. Reyna did not like to do emotions.</p>
<p>“I was just making way for the better daughter of war,” Annabeth muttered. Reyna blinked a few times and slowly looked at Annabeth. Better daughter of war? The two of them always teased each other about their mother being better, but in the end, Reyna never wanted to know the true answer to it. She was content with joking with Annabeth about it, but this was something different.</p>
<p>Reyna took a deep breath and forced aside any thought of Lupa and being a praetor. It would be best for her to focus on Annabeth. She looked at Annabeth and thought about trying to keep the mood light. It would keep her from accidentally snapping on Annabeth. Reyna spoke, “So, you're mad at me for what I did during capture the flag. It was a little underhanded, but I'm sure you'll think of something worse to do to me next week. You'll just have to use your brain.”</p>
<p>“I really don't get the comparisons,” Annabeth snapped. She stood and turned towards Reyna. “We're both leaders of our camps and would lay our lives down for ours friends. That is the end of the comparisons. You are terrible at relationships, and I don't think you can take them seriously.”</p>
<p>Annabeth took a breath but wasn't done. She stabbed a finger into Reyna's chest and continued, “You can't talk about your problems with anyone. When you do try to solve conflict, you find the most complicated, asinine way to do it. If you would stop shielding yourself away from your emotions and take them seriously, you might actually be able to have a relationship.”</p>
<p>“Enough,” Reyna snapped. She pushed Annabeth's hand away and stood. Reyna glared at Annabeth and clenched her fist. Her right hand slowly clenched and unclenched, and it took a few deep breaths to get rid of her dark thoughts. Reyna closed her eyes. “What did I do to anger you this much?”</p>
<p>When Reyna didn't receive a response, she slowly opened her eyes. Annabeth was staring at the ground and taking her own deep breaths. It took Reyna another moment to look away and stare at the ground. With the fate of her praetorship hanging over her head, this was the last thing Reyna needed.</p>
<p>“I don't know why I said that,” Annabeth began. She slowly looked up and took a deep breath. Annabeth wiped away a frustrated tear. Reyna walked towards the table at the far end of the room. She pressed her fist into it and took another deep breath. “Reyna, what I said was uncalled for.”</p>
<p>“You're just speaking the truth,” Reyna muttered. She knew how bad she was with relationships, and Annabeth's words were just another reminder of her failings. If Reyna was better with relationships, would the cohorts not have had their second paintball fight? Would she not be in this position?</p>
<p>“I've had a really bad day, and I'm taking it out on you. That's not fair,” Annabeth began. Reyna just shrugged and didn't say a word. Annabeth's words had cut a lot deeper than she knew. The two stood in silence for a minute. Reyna refused to say another word, until she calmed herself down. If she spoke, all of her anger would be directed at Annabeth.</p>
<p>“I hear all the whispers,” Annabeth said. “Everyone always compares the two of us. We're both daughters of war. We're both leaders of our camps, but you're the better one. You're the one that earned her position and didn't ride the coattails of other heroes. You're the one who could actually lead her camp to war.”</p>
<p>“When you and Hylla won so easily, the whispers turned into taunting,” Annabeth said. She pulled out a chair and sat down. “I thought it would help to look at old trophies. Instead, it only helped me remember all of the friends that I have lost. It just made my mood worse, and I took it out on you.”</p>
<p>Reyna stared at the wall in front of her and slowly pulled a chair out. She sat down and looked at the table. It wasn't like Annabeth to snap on anyone, and it probably didn't help that Reyna was joking about a sore spot with her. It still took Reyna a few more moments to look at Annabeth.</p>
<p>“When I first became a centurion, I heard all these whispers about how I wasn't good enough. I wasn't as strong as I should have been, especially since I was a daughter of Bellona. If I ever lost a sparring session or wasn't the last one standing during training, I wasn't good enough,” Reyna muttered. Annabeth slowly met her eyes.</p>
<p>“It worsened, when I became a praetor,” Reyna continued. “Every single person that wasn't under my command had a new opinion or way for me to improve myself. I took it all to heart, and it hit a breaking point. Jason and I got into an intense yelling match, and it almost came to blows. We both realized that we were taking the criticism to heart and letting it boil inside. If you keep doing that Annabeth, it's going to destroy you.”</p>
<p>Annabeth looked down and didn't say a word. It looked like she was trying to think of an appropriate apology. Reyna leaned back in her chair and stared at the wall opposite of her. She tried to close her eyes and relax, but a burning pain in her arm stopped her. Reyna forced back a cry of pain and slowly stood.</p>
<p>Reyna walked out of the Big House and finally hissed in pain. She placed a hand to her right arm and looked down. It felt like her tattoo was on fire. Reyna leaned against the railing and took deep breaths. A glance down at her forearm showed that nothing was wrong, but the pain was still there.</p>
<p>Flashes appeared before her eyes, and Reyna slowly sat down. She clenched her fist and pressed her fist against her forehead. The flashes slowly became clearer, and Reyna was able to make out the address of some kind of building. As the pain disappeared, Reyna was able to lift her head and open her eyes. The message wasn't from Lupa, but she had a good idea on who sent it.</p>
<p>As Reyna started to walk towards Nico's cabin, the burning pain came back, worse than before. She took another deep breath and finally walked towards the stables. The pain in her arm lessened, and Reyna barely resisted the urge to send a glare to the sky. Most immortals would send some kind of sign to their children that was a little more clear and didn't involve burning pain. Bellona was not like other immortals though.</p>
<p>Walking towards the stables didn't send stabbing pain through her arm, so she assumed she was going the right way. Reyna walked towards Blackjack and nodded towards the Pegasus. She spoke, “I know you really like sugar cubes, and I can get you a whole lot if you can get me to California in record time. Can you do that?”</p>
<p>Blackjack gave her a look and almost seemed to be insulted. Reyna glanced back towards Camp Half-Blood. She knew that it would be a good idea to let someone know where she was going or to even tell Annabeth that they would continue their talk later, but Reyna couldn't waste any time. Her mother only summoned her for very important reasons, and something told her this would be the most important.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Secrets and Warnings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Blackjack, I will give you two sugar cubes, if you tell me where Reyna went. Wait, I'll give you three. How about that?” Percy asked. He was kneeling in front of the Pegasus and holding nothing in his hands. Blackjack was giving Percy a look of either anger or annoyance. “You drive a hard bargain. Four.”</p>
<p>Nico shook his head and looked away from the scene. It had been nineteen hours since he had last seen Reyna. It was at eight the night before that Reyna told Nico she was going to the Ares cabin. She had been there for a couple of minutes, and then, she had gone to the Big House. From there, only the Pegasus knew.</p>
<p>“Frank hasn't seen her at Camp Jupiter,” Piper reported. Nico turned around to watch the daughter of Aphrodite walk towards them. Piper gave him a small smile. “Her dogs are still there and apparently chasing down mice. They don't seem upset.”</p>
<p>“I already talked to Hylla, and she hasn't seen or heard anything from Reyna. She said that if Reyna shows up, she might send a message,” Nico added. He crossed his arms and looked back at Blackjack. Percy was up to seven sugar cubes now. “Where else could Reyna have gone?”</p>
<p>“Did you two get into an argument?” Piper asked. Nico shook his head but stopped to think about it. He didn't think the two had gotten into a fight, unless Reyna took him seriously when he said that he would join Annabeth's team in capture the flag if she woke him up at six in the morning again. Reyna had laughed, so all should have been good.</p>
<p>“Not that I know of,” Nico finally answered. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. If he had to make a guess, he would say that Chiron was the last one to see Reyna, and they had yet to speak to him. Maybe, he would know where Reyna had went. “Did Lupa summon her? It would explain why she left in the middle of the night.”</p>
<p>“I would think that she would have gone back to Camp Jupiter,” Piper answered. Nico nodded and sighed again. He looked at Percy, who had not made any progress. Whatever Reyna had bribed the Pegasus with was much more than Percy could match. “Percy, please stop.”</p>
<p>“If I bring it to thirteen, Blackjack will break,” Percy promised. Nico rolled his eyes and looked around. How did Reyna just disappear in the middle of the night? He was concerned about Reyna. She had a habit of getting herself into trouble.</p>
<p>Nico took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He tried to tell himself that Reyna was fine, but he couldn't convince himself. No one knew where Reyna was. If she was in trouble, no one would be able to help her. Nico couldn't lose his best friend.</p>
<p>“I'll try to send a message to Jason and see if he knows anything,” Piper said. She gave Nico a gentle smile and walked away. Nico closed his eyes and took a few more deep breaths. He could still hear Percy slowly raising the amount of sugar cubes, but Blackjack had an iron will.</p>
<p>“Nico,” Annabeth said. A noise of surprise escaped Nico, and he slowly turned to look at Annabeth. She had just appeared at his side, and it took Nico a few moments to calm his racing heart. He looked up at Annabeth. “Have you found out where Reyna went?”</p>
<p>“No,” Nico answered. He sighed and looked up at Annabeth. She had bags under her eyes and seemed to be stifling a yawn. “You look exhausted. Did you spend all night reading that book that you found yesterday?”</p>
<p>“I think this is my fault,” Annabeth said. She looked down and rubbed her eyes. “Reyna and I got into an argument last night. She left the Big House, and that's the last time anyone saw her. I thought she had stepped outside to calm down, but I guess she just left.”</p>
<p>Nico stared at Annabeth. He couldn't even remember the last time that Annabeth had gotten into a serious argument with anyone, and he was pretty sure that Reyna and Annabeth had no reason to be arguing. Did it have something to do with capture the flag?</p>
<p>“What was it about?” Nico began. Annabeth shook her head and crossed her arms. Nico nodded and knew it would be best to respect Annabeth's privacy. Besides, he could get all the details from Reyna, once he found her. “I'm sure it's not your fault. I think Lupa summoned Reyna.”</p>
<p>“Hopefully,” Annabeth mumbled. She glanced up at Percy and then looked back at Nico. “I'm sure she'll show up soon, probably ready to make you run five more miles.”</p>
<p>Just the thought of running made Nico's lung hurt. He wasn't out of shape or anything, but Reyna was a freak of nature. She didn't seem to tire out during exercise, and Nico didn't know if it was from being at Camp Jupiter for so long or being a daughter of Bellona.</p>
<p>“Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?” Percy asked. He was staring at Blackjack but quickly turned to look at them. “Do you guys want to know what Blackjack just asked me? He's wondering why we're asking where Reyna is when she's at the Big House.”</p>
<p>As soon as Nico processed the words, he took off towards the Big House. Maybe, Reyna had just gone for a long walk, or she had gone out to cool down and was back. As Nico saw the Big House, he broke out into a run. He jumped the stairs in one leap, stumbled forward, and opened the door.</p>
<p>The only thing Nico heard was the sound of a door slamming shut. He tensed and slowly walked towards the door that had been slammed shut. It was the room that Chiron took everyone to when he wanted to have a private talk, so it was the least private room in the entire camp.</p>
<p>Nico moved to the right of the door and turned a corner. He stood on the couch that was against the middle of the wall. It took him a few moments to line his eye up with the hole in the wall. The hole had been originally created by the Stolls a few months ago and was the worst kept secret of the camp. Originally, Chiron had tried to patch the holes, but once more kept appearing, he gave up.</p>
<p>The only problem with the hole was that it didn't show the entire room. All Nico could see was the door and the first half of the table. Luckily, Chiron was sitting by the front of the table. Reyna was standing by the door and was staring at Chiron. There was a tense silence in the air.</p>
<p>Nico pressed his ear to the wall to listen in on the conversation. His eyes focused on his best friend. Reyna wasn't wearing any armor, other than a dirty and bloodied breastplate. There was blood staining her arms and hands. Nico wanted to know what injuries Reyna had, but he didn't see any.</p>
<p>There was a small backpack hanging from Reyna's left shoulder. She threw the backpack on the table and opened it. Chiron was clearly surprised by Reyna and seemed to be at a loss for words. Reyna pulled a dagger out of the backpack, and Nico felt himself tense. What was going on with Reyna?</p>
<p>“You were wrong,” Reyna said. She threw something directly at Chiron, and it hit him right in the chest. Chiron looked down at the necklace that fell into his lap. Reyna stabbed the dagger into the table. “Why did you think you could keep that from us? From me? I know all the happenings of Camp Jupiter, Chiron.”</p>
<p>“Lupa told me to,” Chiron began. He looked down at the necklace in his lap. Nico couldn't make out any exact details, but he could tell it was a necklace that the campers at Camp Half-Blood received. He could also see the dried blood that was on it. “She made me swear to not tell you or Frank.”</p>
<p>“Look at the hilt,” Reyna ordered. Her voice had steel to it that Nico had never heard before. It scared him a little. It wasn't the angry tone that Nico usually associated Reyna with. Instead, Reyna's voice was a deadly calm. Every word sent shivers down his spine, and all he could do was stare at the scene in front of him.</p>
<p>“Mars' symbol,” Chiron said. Reyna pulled the dagger out of the table and tossed it towards Chiron with lightning speed. Thankfully, Chiron caught the dagger by the hilt. He studied the dagger and slowly placed it onto the table. “Frank was the target?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Reyna answered. She looked down at the necklace.”Just imagine it. Frank Zhang is by himself doing a mound of paperwork that suddenly came in. He hears footsteps, sees a knife, and is granted a release from this life. Any witnesses will say that a demigod from Camp Half-Blood was the last one asking where Zhang was, and they were the last to see him alive. If this had happened, there would have been war.”</p>
<p>“I assume that I don't need to send an Iris message to warn of this assassination?” Chiron asked. His eyes moved to the blood on Reyna's armor, and he slowly looked back down at the necklace. “Did they suffer?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Reyna answered. She turned towards the door and stared at it. There was no emotions on her face, but there seemed to be a kind of fire in her eyes. “The game that you and Lupa played almost cost a praetor their life. I have already talked to Lupa about this, but I will tell you as well. If there is an incident that involves the leadership at Camp Jupiter, you will tell me. You will not endanger another camper's life, and you will keep your campers under control.”</p>
<p>Nico couldn't stop staring at Reyna, and he couldn't process anything. It sounded like Reyna had killed a camper from Camp Half-Blood, and it didn't sound like it was a quick process. Was the camper trying to kill Frank though? None of it made sense to Nico.</p>
<p>“Praetor,” Chiron began, but he sounded unsure of himself. A small, evil smile came to Reyna's face, and she turned back around. Understanding dawned on Chiron's face, and he nodded slightly. “Bellona, I didn't think I would see you here again.”</p>
<p>“This matter required my immediate attention,” Reyna said, but Nico now realized the steel in her voice was influenced by Bellona. Nico slowly glanced down at Annabeth. She was crouched down looking through one of the holes, but he could see how shocked she was. Percy was laying on the ground trying to see through his hole.</p>
<p>“Bellona, we did make a mistake,” Chiron began. “Lupa and I believed that your daughter was the target, so we staged the paintball fight to get Reyna away from Camp Jupiter. I knew she would be safe behind the camp's barrier. We didn't believe that Frank would be the target, and we didn't take any precautions for him.”</p>
<p>“Fool me once, shame on you,” Reyna said. She glanced towards the hole and met Nico's eyes. Her eyes shot down, presumably to look at Annabeth. She finally looked back at Chiron. “This is not the first time Roman blood was almost shed by one of your campers in the last year. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice, we go to war.”</p>
<p>A heavy silence settled over the room. Reyna spoke, “If you cannot control your campers Chiron, I will do it for you. The other Olympians may not be in agreement with me, but I know what is best for Rome. I will do was I must for its survival, and my daughters will do the same.”</p>
<p>Nico closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall. This had to be some kind of twisted nightmare. There was no way that Bellona could want them to go war, right? How did she want Chiron to keep Camp Half-Blood under control? Nico took a deep breath and opened his eyes.</p>
<p>The tension in the air lifted, and Reyna collapsed to her knees. Reyna caught her arm and helped her sit in a chair. Reyna cursed in Latin and cradled her head. Chiron watched her with a sad look.</p>
<p>“How do you feel?” Chiron asked. Reyna didn't respond, and Nico could see how tense she was. He wasn't sure if she was in pain or just extremely upset. “Your mother's thoughts are not your own, Reyna. I don't hold any of this against you.”</p>
<p>“It's been a long night,” Reyna finally said. She sounded exhausted and almost like she was ready to cry. Nico pushed himself away from the wall and slowly sat on the couch. Annabeth joined him, after a moment of silence. Percy rolled onto his back and looked up at them.</p>
<p>Nico looked at the ground and tried to process everything that he had heard. Annabeth stood and looked at them. Instead of looking shocked, she seemed to be extremely upset. Annabeth spoke, “Reyna killed one of our campers.”</p>
<p>“She had a good reason,” Nico began. Annabeth turned a glare of fury onto him. Percy gave Nico a look that told Nico he should have kept his mouth shut. “They were going to kill Frank. Reyna was just protecting her friend.”</p>
<p>“I can understand why Reyna did what she did,” Annabeth said. She took a deep breath and was careful to keep her voice quiet. “I don't like that she did it, but I understand why. It still doesn't make it right for her to torture anyone.”</p>
<p>“We don't know what Reyna did or didn't do,” Percy interrupted. He grabbed Annabeth's knee and squeezed it gently. “All we know is the would be assassin suffered. Maybe, they bled out or something else happened. We don't know what happened, and do we really want to know?”</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna answered. Nico's heart almost left his chest, and he quickly turned towards his best friend. Reyna leaned on the wall and watched them. She looked even worse up close. Her eyes were bloodshot, but there was also something dark in them.</p>
<p>“What did you do?” Annabeth demanded. She stood and walked towards Reyna. When Annabeth didn't receive an answer, she suddenly grabbed onto a piece of Reyna's shirt and pulled her close. “What did you do, Reyna? I know all of that blood isn't yours.”</p>
<p>“Hey,” Percy said. He quickly grabbed Annabeth and pulled her backwards. Percy stood in between the two daughters of war and glanced at Nico for help. Nico gently grabbed Reyna's arm and tried to pull her away. “Why don't we all go relax?”</p>
<p>“Maybe, you should have watched your sibling a little more closely,” Reyna said. Her voice was low and quiet. Reyna pulled away from Nico and started to walk out of the room. Out of the corner of his eye, Nico saw Annabeth's fist clench. Annabeth suddenly grabbed Reyna's shoulder and spun her around.</p>
<p>Annabeth kept her hand on Reyna's shoulder and stared into her eyes. Reyna kept her face emotionless and didn't say a word. Nico wasn't sure if he should pull the two apart or just wait to see what happened. Annabeth took a deep breath and spoke, “How do you know that they were planning on killing Frank?”</p>
<p>“The same way that you instantly knew the necklace belonged to a child of Athena,” Reyna answered. Annabeth shook her head and finally let go of Reyna. She turned and stormed out of the room. Percy gave them a look and then chased after his girlfriend.</p>
<p>“Are you okay?” Nico asked. He looked at Reyna, and after a few moments of silence, Reyna shook her head. She walked towards the couch and collapsed onto it. Nico slowly sat on the ground by her. “You're not hurt, are you?”</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna muttered. She stared up at the ceiling. The two stayed in silence for minutes. Reyna finally sighed and closed her eyes. “I need to head back to Camp Jupiter. I get if you want to stay clear of me. I won't blame you.”</p>
<p>“I don't care what you did,” Nico said. He stood and looked down at Reyna. “You saw what I did to Bryce. You lived through my journey, and you didn't turn away from me. You haven't treated me like a monster. I have your back, just like you have mine.”</p>
<p>Reyna stood and suddenly hugged Nico tightly. She buried her head into his shoulder. Nico gently hugged Reyna back, and the two stayed there for a few moments. Reyna was the first to pull away, and she slowly sat back down.</p>
<p>“I did what I had to do, but I'm not proud of it,” Reyna whispered. She closed her eyes and sighed tiredly. “I don't want to talk about it Nico. I just want to go home and sleep for a day or two.”</p>
<p>“You should shower first and get something to eat,” Nico said. He sat by Reyna and glanced at her. Reyna nodded and closed her eyes. She laid her head back. Nico looked back at the wall in front of him. Maybe, he just had blind loyalty, but he wasn't going to turn on Reyna. She had his back so far, and he would do the same for her, no matter what.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Arria</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, what really happened with Reyna? We've been told this story that she went on a mission for Lupa, but that I think there is more to it than that,” Hazel said. She glanced at Nico, and he did his best to focus on his sandwich. They were walking the streets of New Rome and had grabbed a sandwich from Hazel's favorite place.</p>
<p>When Nico didn't respond, Hazel stopped walking and gave him a concerned look. Hazel continued, “I saw her come back covered in blood and dirt. She didn't seem to be injured, but you know how she likes to hide stuff like that. Reyna hasn't said a word about it, not even to Frank.”</p>
<p>“I don't know exactly what Reyna did,” Nico began. He had a pretty good idea of it, and for the past week, he had been hearing all of Annabeth's theories. Annabeth was extremely upset about what had happened, and Nico only hoped that the two daughters of war could work their problems out. “I think she did something to protect Camp Jupiter. It had to be important.”</p>
<p>“If you can't, or don't, want to talk about it, I can respect that,” Hazel said. She smiled at Nico and gave him a nudge. “You should stop by and see Reyna. She's been distracted lately, and I think something might be on her mind. It would be worth checking out.”</p>
<p>“I will,” Nico promised. Hazel smiled at him and suddenly waved. After a small moment of confusion, Nico turned around and saw Frank walking towards them. Frank waved back and held a bag that belonged to the sandwich place they had just visited.</p>
<p>“You beat me to it,” Frank commented. He looked at Nico and smiled. “How are you doing, Nico? I haven't seen you for awhile. Hazel kept telling me that you were avoiding me.”</p>
<p>“I couldn't avoid you,” Nico said. He smiled slightly and glanced at Hazel. “You and Frank should spend the day together. I know you both don't get a lot of time off. Where is Reyna at? I'll check in on her.”</p>
<p>“Well, we were in the middle of a meeting, but they kicked me out,” Frank answered. He took a small bite of his sandwich and stared to hand a bag over. Nico raised the bag that he had already gotten for Reyna. Frank smiled. “She'll be happy to see you. She's been distracted, ever since she came back from Lupa's mission.”</p>
<p>Nico nodded and did his best to hide his emotions. He couldn't let them know that he knew more than they did. It would only lead to annoying questions. His thoughts moved to Reyna. It didn't seem like she was taking everything well.</p>
<p>“Is Arria still sitting in on the meetings?” Hazel asked. After taking another bite of his sandwich, Frank nodded. “Reyna has been almost staring down Arria since she arrived. I don't know if those two have had arguments before. Would Jason know?”</p>
<p>“There was a weird tension between the two,” Frank commented. He frowned and lowered his sandwich. “I shouldn't have left the two alone. Arria can easily get under people's skin, and Reyna can't afford to have another argument, after the whole paintball thing. Reyna's at the Principia.”</p>
<p>“I'll check on her,” Nico promised. He started to walk away but turned back towards the two Romans. “Both of you have fun. I'll stop by before I leave.”</p>
<p>“You better,” Hazel warned. She gave Nico a look. He smiled it off, but he knew that she was going to hold him to it. Nico nodded towards the two of them and walked away. </p>
<p>As Nico walked towards the Principia, he allowed his mind to drift. The past week had been a weird one. At first, Annabeth had gone out of her way to avoid him. She wouldn't make eye contact with him and wouldn't mention what had happened. Once Percy mentioned that to Annabeth, she went out of her way to say and do nice things for Nico. It was weird.</p>
<p>Reyna had been a different story. She had sent Nico two or three Iris messages, but they were all short and curt. Reyna had promised him that it was due to an insane amount of work and not what had happened. Hazel was able to confirm the story and almost seemed amused that Nico was so concerned.</p>
<p>Nico made his way towards the Principia and nodded at the two guards standing outside. Dakota gave him a small smile and playfully moved a sword in front of Nico's path. Dakota spoke, “According to my punishment, I'm not suppose to let anyone inside.”</p>
<p>“He drank too much kool-aid, and then, he claimed it made him run around outside in just his underwear. We all know it's because you lost that bet,” the other guard said. He looked at Nico. “Sorry. No one can pass.”</p>
<p>“Can you let Reyna know I want to talk to her?” Nico asked. He held up the bag. “And, can you let her know that I got her something to eat? Jellybeans are not a substitute for dinner.”</p>
<p>“If we see her, we'll let her know,” the other guard said. Nico didn't recognize his voice or his face, so he assumed the guard was someone new. “We were told that no Roman can walk inside during the meeting.”</p>
<p>“Nico's not a Roman,” Dakota began. He nudged the other guard and gave Nico a smirk. The guard sighed and closed his eyes. He looked past the point of annoyed. “You're good to pass, Nico. Reyna will be happy to see you, and we'll just say that you slipped by.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Nico said. He walked past the two and into the Principia. He eyes looked at the large table in the middle of the room. Then, his eyes moved to look at Reyna, who seemed to be in the middle of a conversation with another woman.</p>
<p>The woman was close enough to Reyna that she was practically pressing Reyna into the table. There was a scowl set on Reyna's face, and her attention was focused solely on the woman in front of her. When Nico had first started being an ambassador for Pluto, he had met plenty of other ambassadors, spies, and agents for other immortals. He didn't recognize this woman though.</p>
<p>The woman had a few inches of height on Reyna, and she had short, brown hair. Tattoos covered the woman's right arm, and it almost seemed like a story of war. From just going by her looks, the woman was only a year or two older than Reyna.</p>
<p>“Who cares what the daughter of Minerva thinks?” the woman said. If Nico had to guess, the woman was Arria. He debated walking away, but he still wanted to check on Reyna and make sure she was okay. Arria made a laughing sound. “You do, don't you?”</p>
<p>“Annabeth and I are friends,” Reyna muttered. Her eyes moved away from Arria and to the ground. “She has her own guesses on what happened, and if she ever learned that you were involved, she'll know exactly what happened.”</p>
<p>“Who cares?” Arria asked. She grabbed Reyna's face and slowly lifted her head. Surprisingly, Reyna didn't fight. “We did what we had to do, and it was in the name of your mother. Is this because of the crush that you have on her?”</p>
<p>Reyna's face reddened, and she tried to look away. Nico stared at Reyna. She didn't really have a crush on Annabeth, did she? The two always seemed like they could be the best of friends or the worst of enemies, and recent events had confirmed that. Annabeth was also dating Percy and never seemed to be attracted to girls. Reyna finally spoke, “I don't have a crush on her.”</p>
<p>“I totally believe you, Praetor Ramirez,” Arria said. She moved her hand from Reyna's face to her belt. “All of this really got under your skin, didn't it? Yeah, we messed that kid up pretty bad, but we did it for Rome.”</p>
<p>“I can't live in a world of black and white like you do,” Reyna muttered. She closed her eyes and sighed tiredly. “Let's just finish this stupid paperwork and be done with this stupid meeting. My mother's done enough damage.”</p>
<p>“She wanted me to check on you,” Arria said. She moved her left hand to Reyna's face, but she kept her right hand to Reyna's belt. “You really need to relax, Praetor. How long has it been since you blew off some steam?”</p>
<p>“In which way?” Reyna asked. Arria suddenly kissed Reyna. Then, she shoved Reyna onto the table, and that was when Nico turned away. His shoes squeaked on the polished floor, and the Principia fell deadly quiet.</p>
<p>Nico took a deep breath and slowly turned back towards Reyna and Arria. He could feel himself starting to blush. Reyna was staring at him and had her own blush starting. Arria was staring at Nico as well. Her eyes seemed to study Nico.</p>
<p>“I brought you lunch,” Nico said. Thirty seconds of awkward silence passed. Arria finally smirked and pulled away from Reyna. It took Reyna a moment to push herself off of the table and slowly lean against it.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Reyna said. She swallowed painfully and looked at Nico. Reyna looked like she wanted the ground to open up beneath her and swallow her. “I didn't realize you were visiting today.”</p>
<p>“I was checking on Hazel and thought I would stop by and say hi,” Nico explained. He gave Reyna a small smile, but it disappeared as he looked at Arria. For the past minute, Arria's focus had solely been on him.</p>
<p>“This is the famous Nico? I have heard so much about you,” Arria said. She turned towards Reyna and kissed her again. Arria whispered something in Latin and pulled away. She walked towards Nico and stopped it front of him. “It's a pleasure to meet you, son of Pluto. I'm sure I'll run into you later.”</p>
<p>Arria walked out of the Principia. Reyna slowly looked at Nico, and she cleared her throat awkwardly. Nico slowly walked towards his best friend and spoke, “You have some of her lipstick on your face.”</p>
<p>Reyna quickly tried to wipe her face off, and Nico started laughing. He was punched hard in the shoulder a moment later. Nico winced and smiled at Reyna She still looked like she was hoping for the ground to open up and swallow her.</p>
<p>“How much did you hear?” Reyna asked. Nico lost his smile and didn't answer. Reyna sat on the table and buried her face in her hands. “Everything?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Nico confirmed. He moved some notebooks out of the way and sat by Reyna. The two stayed in silence, until Reyna finally looked up. “You don't have to be embarrassed. It's not like Lupa walked in on you or anything.”</p>
<p>“It wouldn't be the first time,” Reyna muttered. She buried her face in her hands again. Nico stifled his laugh. The thought of Lupa's reaction was hilarious, but he focused on rubbing Reyna's back. It took a minute of silence for her to slowly look up again. “Do you promise not to judge me, Nico?”</p>
<p>“Reyna, I know you're bisexual. I'm not going to judge you about that, and I never will,” Nico promised. He grabbed Reyna's shoulder tightly. “You've never judged me for my sexual orientation, and I'll never judge you for yours. I told you last week that I have your back, and I always will.”</p>
<p>“I know you won't judge me about that,” Reyna muttered. She sighed and looked down. Nico glanced at Reyna. What was she so nervous to tell him about? “Arria's not my girlfriend, and she's not really a crush. She's a way to blow off steam, when sparring doesn't cut it. She's a friend. With, well, benefits. If you catch my meaning.”</p>
<p>“We all have to let off steam,” Nico said. He nudged Reyna's shoulder. “You've got a lot of weight on your shoulders, and if she helps you relax, I won't judge. Just remember to be safe about it.”</p>
<p>“Gods, you sound like a school teacher,” Reyna said. She finally let out a shaky laugh. “We first met when I was fifteen and trying to figure out a lot of stuff about myself. At first, I was really weary of her, since she's one of my mother's agents.”</p>
<p>“One of your mother's agents?” Nico asked. Reyna glanced at him and nodded. Nico looked ahead. It wasn't odd that Bellona would use Reyna to deliver an ultimatum one week and have someone check on her the next, but it did worry him. “What does she do as an agent?”</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Reyna admitted. “Arria's an ambassador. She's not an official member of the legion, but she does a lot of business with Camp Jupiter. In turn, she does a lot of business with me. Arria deals with problems before they can become serious. She helped me with that child of Athena, but I think you heard that.”</p>
<p>“I was surprised to hear that you had backup,” Nico commented. Reyna hit his shoulder again, but it was much softer this time. “You and I both know that you love to go in alone. You still seem bothered though.”</p>
<p>“If a Lar found out about the nature of my relationship with Arria, it would lead to a lot of trouble,” Reyna muttered. She looked down. “The Lares think that any kind of intimate contact should only be done between two people that are dating. Most also think it should be between a male and female. Gods forbid you don't want something like that.”</p>
<p>“They claim that it reminds them of the old days of Rome,” Reyna continued. “Rome started to fall, because it allowed its value to decay. It's a load of crap, but they could make my life terrible if they learned.”</p>
<p>“Does Lupa care?” Nico asked. Reyna shook her head. “I'm sure the campers don't either. Who cares what the Lares think? They probably hate you for a lot more reasons than the fact that you want to have a physical relationship instead of an emotional one.”</p>
<p>“When did you get so smart?” Reyna teased. It was Nico's turn to playfully punch Reyna in the shoulder. Reyna finally stood and sighed. “I have to finish up a little bit of paperwork, and we can hang out for a hour or so.”</p>
<p>“Do you want to hang out at Camp Half-Blood tonight? You missed capture the flag, and Annabeth was really insistent that I be the one to take the flag across the boundary line. It's my cabin against the Hermes cabin next week. We can start thinking of strategies,” Nico began.</p>
<p>“Arria actually said she would meet me at my place tonight,” Reyna began. Nico opened his mouth, but it dawned on him what Reyna was implying. He closed his mouth and nodded. “I'm sorry.”</p>
<p>“It's fine,” Nico said. If Nico was being honest with himself, he was a little jealous. He knew that he shouldn't have been, but it was hard. Nico was so use to Reyna's attention being all of him, and she didn't really have anyone else that she hung out with. Other than Will, Nico didn't either.</p>
<p>“We'll hang out later. I promise,” Reyna said. She nudged Nico and smiled. “There's this really open field that I like to take Aurum and Argentum too. It would probably have enough room for Hades the Hellhound to run around.”</p>
<p>“That would be fun,” Nico said. He handed Reyna the bag with her sandwich in it. “You can go back to your paperwork after eating this. I'll be eating your jellybeans while you do.”</p>
<p>“You can have five and only five,” Reyna stated. She sat down on the table and grabbed a file. Reyna opened it and sighed. Nico grabbed the bowl of jellybeans, and out of curiosity, he glanced at the file in Reyna's hands. It was written in Latin, but he was definitely able to see Chiron's name on a few different lines. That was odd. “It's nothing bad.”</p>
<p>“How did you know that was what I was wondering?” Nico asked. Reyna smirked and didn't answer. She signed her name and closed the file. Reyna grabbed a handful of jellybeans and stuffed them into her mouth. “How can you eat all of them like that? You can't mix flavors.”</p>
<p>“Not with that attitude,” Reyna said, with a mouthful of jellybeans. She opened another file, glanced at it, and threw it onto a chair. There was a nice pile of folders collecting on the chair. Something told Nico that the chair belonged to Frank, and the son of Mars would be having a long night. “Frank can do the rest. I'm going to introduce you to the best dessert in the world.”</p>
<p>“I'll have to tell Sally you said that,” Nico commented. Reyna rolled her eyes and stood. She motioned for Nico to follow. Nico smiled to himself. It seemed like Reyna was beginning to forgive herself for what had happened and was beginning to get back to her normal self, and for Nico, that was all that mattered.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Bianca</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“This is pretty nice and quiet,” Nico commented. He laid his head back and stared up at the rising sun. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Will smiling. The two were laying on top of the Apollo cabin and just enjoying the morning, since someone decided to wake Nico up extremely early.</p>
<p>“I told you it would be,” Will said. He smirked and closed his eyes. Despite how relaxed he was trying to look, he was clearly upset about something. Will sighed and slowly opened his eyes, to stare at the sun. He didn't seem to be willing to talk about it, and Nico was fine with the silence.</p>
<p>“That's going to hurt your eyes,” Nico commented. He glanced at Will and smiled slightly. Will forced another smile onto his face. Nico frowned. “What's wrong with you? I know that you're forcing yourself to smile.”</p>
<p>“I had a bad dream,” Will admitted. He shook his head and closed his eyes. Nico slowly sat up and looked at Will. His boyfriend didn't say another word, and the two were left in silence. Nico sighed and tried to force words to come out of his mouth. He didn't know why it was so hard to talk to his boyfriend about personal stuff. “It's just bothering me.”</p>
<p>Nico tried to force the question that was in his head out of his mouth. No words came out, and Nico stared up at the sun. Will nudged him and spoke, “You're going to hurt your eyes.”</p>
<p>“Hilarious,” Nico muttered. He turned his head to look at Will, and the sun almost seemed to disappear into Will. Nico found himself smiling, and he finally found the courage to speak his next words. “Is it about the battle for Olympus? I thought I heard you muttering about it last night.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Will whispered. He looked Nico in the eyes. “I think of those people that I couldn't save, and it just makes me feel terrible If I was stronger, they would still be here.”</p>
<p>“Will, you saved so many people during those wars,” Nico interrupted. He grabbed Will's hand and squeezed it tightly. “Without you, we wouldn't have won. You helped or healed almost everyone in this camp. Will, you cannot blame yourself for being unable to save everyone.”</p>
<p>“Having them die in my hands is my fault,” Will whispered. Nico frowned. He knew that Will would never admit how terrible he felt about those who died under his care. Will always kept a smile on his face, despite the pain in his heart. “I should have been able to save them.”</p>
<p>“You can't save everyone,” Nico said. He grabbed both of Will's hands. Will looked at him, and Nico found himself unable to continue. There was such a look of heartbreak in Will's eyes, and his nightmare had cleared affected him deeply.</p>
<p>“I know, but that doesn't make it any better,” Will whispered. He shook his head and sat up. They both heard the sounds of what sounded like an argument. A glance out at the cabins showed Annabeth walking out of the Poseidon cabin. She stalked towards her cabin. After a few moments, the door of the Poseidon cabin opened, and Percy walked out looking confused and almost distressed. “Trouble in paradise?”</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Nico admitted. He leaned forward and thought about catching Percy's attention. Instead, he watched the son of Poseidon step back into his cabin. “Annabeth has been off lately, ever since she got in the argument with Reyna.”</p>
<p>“So, it was the same time that Clarisse and her siblings escalated their taunting,” Will commented. Nico glanced at him. “I'm guessing you didn't hear about it. Ever since the Amazons kicked our behinds, it's been getting pretty bad. Clarisse isn't participating in it that much, but she's not doing anything to stop it either.”</p>
<p>“I guess Annabeth is letting it get to her,” Nico said. He frowned. In his mind, he always imagined Annabeth as someone who wasn't bothered by words, especially words from the Ares cabin. “Should we try talking to her?”</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Will admitted. He stood and walked towards the edge of the roof. Will slowly climbed down, and Nico followed even slower. He had already fallen off the ladder once, since it blended into the cabin. “If she's getting into an argument with Percy, I think we should stay out of the warpath.”</p>
<p>Nico nodded his agreement. It would probably be best to give Annabeth time to cool down. Instead, he had to focus on capture the flag and how he would get his team. Despite the fact that Annabeth had allowed him to get the flag, she wasn't going to have her cabin be on his team, and a promise of better shower times wasn't changing her mind. It was like she knew Reyna would be working with Nico.</p>
<p>Clarisse had already approached Nico and told him that she was on his team. He wasn't going to argue with that, but he was stuck with a lot of cabins who didn't want to work with him. They were mad about how the Ares cabin had been acting lately, and since Clarisse was so focused on finding a college, she didn't keep them under control.</p>
<p>Nico shook his head and mindlessly followed Will. They made their way towards the archery range, and their attention was drawn to Chiron. The Centaur was talking to two demigods that Nico didn't recognize, but he did recognize the tattoo on their arms.</p>
<p>Will pulled Nico towards Chiron and acted like he was deciding on how far he wanted to shoot from. Chiron glanced at them and gave them a knowing look. He focused back on his conversation with the two Romans. The only thing Nico could hear was a bunch of numbers being thrown around.</p>
<p>“It would take only a day to build, but you would probably need a week for the campers to prepare themselves,” one of the demigods said. He crossed his arms and looked around. “The armor will be the hard part, but we can probably make a few adjustments, depending on who is participating.”</p>
<p>“How effective is the armor?” Chiron questioned. Nico glanced at Will and shrugged slightly. He wasn't quite sure what the three of them were talking about, but he was a little interested. It looked like it was suppose to be secretive.</p>
<p>“I only broke my arm like twice, but it could have been worse,” the other Roman said. She nudged her friend. “Do you remember when Henry refused to wear the armor, got thrown off his chariot, and then got ran over by it. He was stuck in the infirmary for three weeks, and the praetors were so pissed at him.”</p>
<p>“Chariots?” Will whispered. He turned towards Nico and then slowly looked back at Chiron. “Are we about to do a chariot race, sponsored by the Romans? Our races were pretty bad, but there's has to be terrible. I heard someone almost died during the last one they had.”</p>
<p>“Someone almost always dies during their war games and chariot race. What's the armor thing they're talking about?” Nico wondered. He looked around and almost hoped to see Reyna. It was one day before capture the flag, and he really wanted to know if she was going to participate. It would also be nice to see her.</p>
<p>“Something to negate falling from a chariot,” Will guessed. He frowned. “I wonder how viable that would be for actual combat. We don't fall a lot, but if you were to get knocked off of your feet and thrown, it might be a lifesaver.”</p>
<p>“The Romans could tell us more,” Nico said. He looked up and saw the two Romans nod to Chiron. The two started walking and pointing things out. It seemed like they were going to be building the track. Will frowned.</p>
<p>“We don't need to have anyone else die in the name of fun,” Will said. He crossed his arms and sighed. “The last race had stymphalian birds attack, and the one before that had the rogue chariot crash into the  stands. We don't need anything like that to happen again.”</p>
<p>“It sounds like Chiron is taking proper precautions,” Nico began. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the head counselor of the Demeter cabin watching him. Miranda made a drinking motion, and Nico ignored the urge to roll his eyes. He nudged Will. “I'll talk to you later. I have to go bribe Miranda with some soda to join my team.”</p>
<p>“Have fun,” Will said. Nico smiled and walked back to his cabin. Upon stepping inside, he was only half surprised to find Reyna laying on his bunk. Reyna glanced at him and gave a half wave. She smirked at him and slowly stood.</p>
<p>“Catch,” Reyna said. She tossed something towards Nico, and he barely caught it. Upon looking down, Nico's heart jumped into his throat. He stared at the figurine of Hades. “So, I talked to Frank about some nerd game you two like: mythomagic. You won't believe what I had to do to get that figure.”</p>
<p>Nico just stared at the figure, and he could feel his breathing getting quicker. The world around him disappeared, and the only thing that he could focus on was the figure in front of him. It was the same figure that had killed his sister.</p>
<p>Anxiety and fear gripped Nico's chest, and all he could think of was his sister. Bianca was gone forever, and it was all because of him. If he didn't love mythomagic and wasn't so focused on a stupid figure, Bianca would be alive. If he had been quicker to get the Underworld, Bianca wouldn't have chosen rebirth. She was gone forever, because of him. The only thing he had left was memories, and it was getting harder to remember her everyday.</p>
<p>Nico could hear voices, but all he could focus on was the fact that it was getting a lot harder to breath. He closed his eyes and felt tears starting to form. Sadness tore through Nico's chest, and he dropped the figure.</p>
<p>It took him a few moments to realize that someone had grabbed his arm tightly. He slowly looked up at Reyna and tried to speak, but it only came out as stutters. Reyna stared down at him, and Nico's eyes moved towards the shadows. He had to get out of there and get somewhere that he could breath. He needed to be alone.</p>
<p>Nico tried to pull away, but a firm grip on his arm didn't let him go. He shook his head and was suddenly pulled into a tight hug. Nico didn't return the hug, but he did bury his face into Reyna's shoulder. A hand rubbed Nico's back, and he was slowly able to calm his breathing. The panic was still gripping his chest though.</p>
<p>“I talked to some of the cabins about joining you for the capture the flag,” Reyna whispered. Nico nodded slightly and tried to focus on the words and not the panic in his chest. “We have a pretty good team going. Where do you want to put the flag?”</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Nico whispered. His minds started to drift to places that they could put the flag. He had debated using Zeus' fist, even though everyone liked to stay away from there. There was also no telling what tricks their opponents would have.</p>
<p>“We could walk the forest, or you can let Will decide,” Reyna said. She continued to rub Nico's back, and it was slowly getting easier to calm down. “Something tells me Will has some surprises up his sleeve. Shooting an arrow into someone's knee doesn't count as maiming, does it?”</p>
<p>Nico snorted and slowly pulled away. He looked up at Reyna and spoke, “That is the exact definition of maiming. Unless, they just happen to fall into your blade, right?”</p>
<p>“It can happen,” Reyna commented. She gently grabbed Nico's shoulder. Nico looked up and realized that the weight had was starting to lift from his chest. He slowly looked back down at the Hades figure on the ground.</p>
<p>Nico had spent years blaming Percy and the Hunters of Artemis for what had happened to Bianca, but there was also a small part of him that knew it was his fault. If he wasn't so focused on a stupid kid's game, his sister wouldn't be dead. She wouldn't have grabbed that figurine, and she wouldn't be dead. If he wasn't so annoying when he was younger, Bianca wouldn't want to get away and would still be alive.</p>
<p>“What's wrong?” Reyna asked. Nico slowly looked up at Reyna. He thought of Reyna like a sister, but he was putting her in the same danger that he put Bianca in. Half of their so called fun adventures ended in injuries. It wouldn't be long before one ended in death. “Nico, you can talk to me.”</p>
<p>“I'm a danger to you,” Nico said. He pulled from Reyna's grasp and walked towards the door. Reyna followed him and tried to grab his arm. Nico flinched and moved away. “I'm a danger to my friends and family. I'm just going to lead to your death.”</p>
<p>“Nico, what are you talking about?” Reyna asked. Nico shook his head and turned towards the shadows. A hand grabbed his shoulder tightly and didn't let go, even when Nico tried to get away. “Nico, we need to talk about this. Something is clearly bothering you, and we need to talk about it.”</p>
<p>“Let go of me,” Nico warned. He could feel anger starting to boil inside, along with his fear and regret. “I already caused Bianca's death, and I don't want to cause yours!”</p>
<p>Nico tried to pull away, but the iron grip didn't let him. He turned towards Reyna and tried to shove her away. It was like trying to push a brick wall, and the only thing it did was make Nico angrier. Reyna tightened her grip and spoke, “Nico, you didn't cause her death.”</p>
<p>“You don't know anything about it!” Nico yelled. He tried to continue, but when he look up, he saw Reyna's impassive face. His next words died in his throat, and he took a deep breath. Nico looked down at the ground. “You don't know what I did.”</p>
<p>“But,” Reyna interrupted. She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. “You know what I did. I killed my father. Can you say the same? Did you take a sword and drive it through Bianca's heart?”</p>
<p>“No,” Nico answered. He slowly managed to look up at Reyna. She sat him down on his bed and sat beside him. The two stayed in silence, until Nico finally took a deep breath. “I was obsessed with that game, and Bianca died because of it. She took that figure from one of Hephaestus' junkyards. A prototype of Talos came to life, and Bianca sacrificed herself to save the others.”</p>
<p>When Reyna remained silent, Nico continued, “Bianca never would have joined the Hunters of Artemis, if I wasn't so annoying. I was always by her side and always bothering her. It's my fault she joined the Hunters. If they had never picked Bianca to go on the quest, she would be alive. If Annabeth never disappeared, there wouldn't have been a quest.”</p>
<p>“It's no one's fault, Nico. You know that, but you're not willing to admit it,” Reyna said. She grabbed Nico's hand. “You weren't the only deciding factor in her decision to join the Hunters of Artemis and go on the quest. It's Fate, Nico. We all have our paths laid out in front of us.”</p>
<p>“You can't believe that,” Nico muttered. He looked at the ground. Sure, they had strings that were measured and created by the Fates, but the Fates didn't decide everything. They couldn't. “We have choice in our lives.”</p>
<p>“We do,” Reyna agreed. She laid back on the bed. “That's why you can't run away from your fate. You might hate that I'm going to say this, but Bianca was destined to die on that day. If it wasn't on a quest, it would have been a freak accident or even an attack on the Hunters. Bianca didn't run from her fate. She lived her life how she wanted to, and she died a hero.”</p>
<p>Nico turned away. He knew Reyna's words were right, but that didn't mean he wanted to hear it. Nico stood and looked down at the figure of Hades. He suddenly threw it at the wall. Nico spoke, “I just want to see her again, but I can't. She choose rebirth, and I will never get to see her again.”</p>
<p>Nico sat back down on his bed and buried his face in his hands. He wanted to cry and make himself feel better. Instead, all he could do was stare at his palms and feel terrible. Reyna sat by him and remained silent.</p>
<p>“I can't pretend that I know how you feel,” Reyna whispered. “I just want you to know that I'm here for you, Nico. We can go somewhere quieter or just get you out of here.”</p>
<p>“I want to be alone,” Nico whispered. He slowly looked up. Reyna looked away, and while her face was still emotionless, her eyes betrayed how hurt she was. Nico looked away. He just needed to be alone and have time to think.</p>
<p>Reyna nodded and stood. She glanced back at Nico and almost looked like she wanted to say something. Instead, Reyna turned and walked out of the cabin. Nico laid his head back and stared at the ceiling. Was it just fate that Bianca had died, or was that just a convenient excuse?</p>
<p>Nico shook his head and turned on his side. He curled up and closed his eyes tightly. The tears started to form, and he didn't stop them. He buried his face into a pillow. It had been years since Bianca's death, but with all the days that had passed, the pain never got better. It never would.</p>
<p>Nico had been a danger to Bianca. Now, he was a danger to his friends. It would be best for him to leave. Nico heard his cabin door open, and someone sat by him. They pulled him into a gentle hug and rubbed his back. Nico rested his head on Will's chest.</p>
<p>“I'm here,” Will promised. He rubbed Nico's back and held him close. “You're not a danger to any of us, even if you think you are. Being a demigod means we live our lives in danger, Nico.”</p>
<p>“I just want to be alone,” Nico repeated. He tried to pull away, but Will didn't let him. Will started to hum softly, and Nico finally gave up. He relaxed against Will and knew that his boyfriend wouldn't leave him alone. Will would comfort Nico, no matter what.</p>
<p>Nico focused on the humming and felt all of his worries drifting away. He didn't know if he could stop blaming himself for Bianca's death, but he could begin to forgive himself. It would take time, and he would have to talk to someone about what had happened. Nico sighed softly and allowed himself to fall into a peaceful sleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Khernips I</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You don't have to feel bad about telling me to leave,” Reyna said. She adjusted herself on the tree branch and laid her head against it. Her eyes closed, and she focused on all of the sounds around her. Even though she couldn't see Nico's face, she could sense his guilt. “I understand it completely. I would have been the same way.”</p>
<p>“I shouldn't have pushed you away,” Nico said. Reyna slowly opened her eyes and glanced at him. “Talking about Bianca is hard, but you were just trying to make me feel better. Thank you.”</p>
<p>Reyna managed a slight smile, even though Nico couldn't see it. In fact, she couldn't see him. Nico shifted slightly, and the air around him moved as well. The armor they were wearing was experimental and probably not completely approved for capture the flag, but it would be fine.</p>
<p>As long as they stayed still, the armor would allow them to blend in to their surroundings. It didn't work all of the time, but it was definitely working for sitting in a tree. Reyna didn't know much about it, other than the fact that it relied on the mist and some other kind of technology.</p>
<p>“Nico, you didn't judge me when I had my own breakdown,” Reyna whispered. She looked down and tried to keep everything from rushing back at her. She focused on looking around for anyone from Annabeth's team. “You're always there for me, and I always want to be there for you.”</p>
<p>“You are,” Nico said. He nudged Reyna's foot with his. “I'm not really ready to talk more about Bianca, but I'm doing my best to forgive myself. Now, where do we think our friend is hiding at? I'm not sure where she would put her flag.”</p>
<p>Reyna heard the sound of a branch snapping, and she felt a presence near her. A glance to her left almost brought a smile to her face. Arria glanced at her and then looked around the forest. Reyna spoke, “Were you able to find the flag?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Arria answered. She pointed off in the distance. “It's at those rocks that look like a pile of droppings. The Neptune boy is guarding it, along with some daughter of Venus. I sent our two Romans to get the flag. Has the daughter of Minerva found ours yet?”</p>
<p>Reyna looked down at her watch. She shook her head and tried to ignore the nervousness in her stomach. Whenever she was with Arria, she found it hard to focus on anything but the woman in front of her. Reyna didn't have a crush on Arria, but for some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about her.</p>
<p>“It will probably be in the next five minutes, and then, it's showtime,” Reyna said. She laid her head back against the tree. Arria leaned on Reyna's shoulder and looked at Nico. She gave him a small wave. The air shimmered as the wave was returned.</p>
<p>“Is he going to help us with the cleansing?” Arria asked. Reyna didn't respond, as her thoughts started to drift. The two Romans with them were only there to help Chiron plan out Camp Half-Blood's next chariot race. Arria was there for a completely different reason.</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Reyna finally answered. She glanced at Nico. “We think that Annabeth's sibling was possessed by a demon, so we're going to use some holy water to cleanse the old trophies that you guys keep. It's a Roman tradition, and my mother wanted Arria to pass it along to you guys. You're more than welcome to watch.”</p>
<p>“It might be fun,” Nico commented. He slowly moved, and the air around him shimmered. He appeared wearing his black armor. Reyna jumped down from the tree and watched her own armor appear. She didn't move for a few seconds, and she watched the air shift around her, presumably disguising her. “This is really cool.”</p>
<p>“Wise Girl is going to have another screeching attack,” a voice added. Reyna turned to look at Clarisse. The daughter of Ares walked towards them and glanced at Arria. She snorted and then turned towards Reyna's general direction. “This plan of yours better work, Roman. I can't have Annabeth beating my cabin after all of the taunting.”</p>
<p>“Everything is going to go according to my plan,” Reyna promised. That was something she could guarantee. “Annabeth's flag is at Zeus' fist, which I thought was a place that you guys didn't like to put the flag at. She must be pretty confident, but we'll handle it.”</p>
<p>“Annabeth and her nerds don't have anything on us. She's a pathetic excuse for a daughter of war,” another child of Ares commented. They nudged Clarisse and laughed. Clarisse rolled her eyes and shoved them forward. The child of Ares started their patrol back up again.</p>
<p>“We'll handle it,” Reyna promised. She shoved passed Clarisse and walked forward a few feet. She hated the taunting from the Ares cabin. She hated how they had torn down Annabeth's confidence, but everything was going to go according to her plan.</p>
<p>Reyna heard a yell, and she knew it was showtime. Nico nodded to her and ran towards the boundary line. Clarisse smirked and jogged towards where their flag had been. Arria just stayed there and glanced at Reyna. It almost seemed like Arria could read her mind.</p>
<p>“I'll be watching to see what happens,” Arria said. She smirked and disappeared behind a tree. Reyna sighed and closed her eyes. She took a few moments to listen to her surroundings and try to pinpoint the sounds of running.</p>
<p>Annabeth wouldn't go the direct path. It would be the quickest way to victory, but it would also be the most guarded. She wouldn't go to the right, since Reyna had intentionally sent more patrols that way. She would go to the left, and Reyna would be there to meet her.</p>
<p>Reyna jogged towards the boundary line and glanced around. She settled into a walk and calmly walked across the boundary line. She found a tree twenty feet away and leaned on it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nico do the same. He was about fifty feet away and focused on looking into the forest.</p>
<p>In the distance, Reyna could hear sounds of fighting. It seemed to be coming from both sides of the boundary line. All she needed was for Annabeth to make it towards the edge of the boundary line. Reyna allowed herself to close her eyes and wait. After counting to a minute, she opened her eyes and heard a branch near her snap.</p>
<p>The first thing she saw was the tip of a flag, and then, Annabeth jumped out from in between two trees and took off running. She was definitely a little ahead of schedule, so she had probably ran as fast as she could through the forest. Reyna pushed herself off of the tree and tackled Annabeth as she ran past.</p>
<p>The two tumbled to the ground, but Reyna easily rolled to her feet. She looked at Annabeth and grabbed her sword. Annabeth jumped to her feet already swinging her sword. Reyna stepped away from the attack and studied the daughter of Athena.</p>
<p>Annabeth was breathing heavily and almost seemed to be sweating. There was an intense look in her eyes, and she had a laser focus on Reyna. The two studied each other for a moment, and Annabeth slashed upwards. Reyna parried the attack and delivered a small slash to Annabeth's arm.</p>
<p>Annabeth dodged the attack and tried to move to the side. Reyna blocked her path and glanced around. Clarisse was nowhere in sight. Out of the corner of her eye, Reyna saw a sword moving towards her. She blocked the attack. Annabeth was being extremely aggressive, and her attacks almost felt desperate.</p>
<p>From a few feet away, Reyna heard a war cry and the sound of branches snapping. Reyna glanced to her right and saw that Clarisse and Percy were locked in combat. The flag was in Clarisse's right hand, and it wouldn't be too hard for her to lunge across the boundary line.</p>
<p>Clarisse turned her head and met Reyna's eyes. She nodded and focused back on Percy. A smirk almost came to Reyna's face, but she saw the flash of steel. Her arm moved instinctively, and she crossed swords with Annabeth. Her attention went completely back to the demigod in front of her.</p>
<p>Annabeth met her eyes, and she started to move her wrist, to disarm Reyna. It would be all to easy to turn the tables around on Annabeth. All Reyna needed to do was use Annabeth's momentum to catch her sword and disarm her. It would give Clarisse enough time to cross the boundary line and win. Instead, Reyna let go of her sword.</p>
<p>Reyna watched her sword fall to the ground and mentally braced herself. A hilt slammed into her jaw, and she fell backwards. Reyna was halfway to her feet, when she saw a sword pointed at her face. Annabeth stared down at her and spoke, “Percy!”</p>
<p>Out of the corner of her eye, Reyna watched Percy look at them. He shoved Clarisse away and ran towards the edge of the boundary. Annabeth tossed the flag towards Percy. Clarisse desperately dove towards the boundary line, but it didn't matter as Percy caught the flag, and a trident appeared on it.</p>
<p>Reyna slowly sat on the ground and pulled off a helmet. She placed a hand to her definitely bruised jaw. Reyna remained silent and watched Annabeth's siblings surround her and start congratulating her. The air shimmered next to Reyna, and Nico knelt by her. He spoke, “Can you stop getting hurt?”</p>
<p>“Annabeth did it this time,” Reyna complained. She slowly moved her jaw and was glad to find it didn't hurt too bad. Nico helped her stand. “Sorry, Nico. I guess I got a little too confident, and Annabeth got the best of me.”</p>
<p>“It doesn't really matter,” Nico said. He glanced around. “I don't really care if I win or lose capture the flag. All that matters is that I get to hang out with you. Arria mentioned that you have a lot of meetings coming up soon.”</p>
<p>“I'll make time for you,” Reyna promised. Someone grabbed her shoulder roughly and turned her around. Reyna was shoved backwards into a tree. She glared up at the person that had shoved her.</p>
<p>“I thought you said that you had some kind of grand plan that would work,” Clarisse snapped. She crossed her arms and stared down at Reyna. Despite the fact that half of the demigods had been cheering only moments ago, they were now all staring. Most of the Ares cabin was staring to crowd around them. Reyna looked up at Clarisse. She wasn't intimidated by anyone bigger than her, especially if they were a bully.</p>
<p>“I guess the better daughter of war won,” Reyna said. She shoved past Clarisse and a few children of Ares. Reyna walked towards the Big House. She would have to get a few things from Chiron and then probably crash at Nico's cabin for a few hours. They would have to begin the cleansing at midnight, according to Arria.</p>
<p>Nico easily caught up to Reyna and nudged her. He spoke, “This armor is pretty cool. Do you think we'll be able to use it again? Percy seemed pretty jealous when he saw that I had it.”</p>
<p>“Probably. It's still experimental, so it's possible that it might blow up at any moment,” Reyna answered. Nico stopped walking and stared at her. “Did I forget to tell you that? I could have sworn that I told you before we put it on.”</p>
<p>“You didn't,” Nico said. Reyna shrugged and felt something cold touch her jaw. She blinked in surprise and looked at Arria. All she got was a smirk, and Arria adjusted the ice in her hand. Reyna gently took the ice from her and smiled. “It's not that great of a chance to explode, right?”</p>
<p>“Like a fifty percent chance,” Reyna said. Nico's eyes widened, and Reyna smirked. She felt Arria move the ice to examine the bruise. She replaced the ice but kept her hand to Reyna's face. “Can I help you, Arria?”</p>
<p>“Does it hurt?” Arria asked. Reyna gave her a confused look and shrugged. Arria gently lifted the ice from her jaw. “I can kiss it to make it feel better, if you want.”</p>
<p>“Very funny,” Reyna muttered, but she could feel that she was blushing. She grabbed the ice and kept it pressed to her jaw. She stopped at the Big House and sat on the porch. Nico sat near her and smiled. Arria stayed in the shadows and studied Reyna.</p>
<p>Reyna didn't have a crush on Arria, at all. She just couldn't get Arria out of her head, whenever the demigod was around. Someone waved their hand in front of Reyna's face and she slowly looked at Nico. It took her a couple moments to realize that she had zoned out and had been staring at the demigod she didn't have a crush on.</p>
<p>“Are we talking demons like those things that possessed Leo and the others not that long ago, or is it something different?” Nico asked. He walked up the porch and sat on the table. Reyna stood from the steps and followed. She leaned on the railing and turned her back towards the camp. Her gaze focused on Nico and the table.</p>
<p>“They're different,” Arria replied. She brushed past Reyna and sat near Nico. Her back was to the wall, and she was able to keep her eyes on her surroundings. “The demons that we are cleansing feed off of negative emotions and make them come out more. If Reyna was possessed, she would be angry all of the time, instead of most of the time.”</p>
<p>“You're hilarious,” Reyna muttered. She crossed her arms. “They drain all of the positive emotions from you and make your worst come out. It only makes them stronger. There's no way to know that someone is possessed, unless the demon takes full control.”</p>
<p>“Well, there is khernips too,” Arria added. She flashed a bottle of clear liquid. It looked like water, but Reyna knew the power that the liquid held.“If someone possessed by a demon touches this, it will burn them. It's extremely painful. Speaking of painful, I have a question for our grand praetor. Why did you let Annabeth win?'</p>
<p>Nico looked at Reyna and gave her a confused look. Reyna sighed and kept the ice pressed to her jaw. It took her a few moments to think of her answer, and she finally spoke, “Annabeth has been letting the insults and taunting from the Ares cabin go to her head. It was so bad that Annabeth snapped on me not too long ago. I can't stand bullies, and I can't stand the fact that Annabeth is letting the taunting tear her apart.”</p>
<p>“Annabeth told me that the Ares cabin keeps telling her that I am the better daughter of war. Those words were obviously tearing her apart. I know how that feels, but someone was there for me and able to help me,” Reyna continued. She glanced at Arria. “I figured that if I threw the game of capture the flag and let Annabeth disarm me, she could get her confidence back and get over it.”</p>
<p>“You let me win?” Annabeth asked. Reyna stiffened and slowly turned around. Annabeth was standing at the base of the steps and staring at her. It took Reyna a few moments to think of her next words. “Do you have that much pride that you can't admit I beat you fairly?”</p>
<p>Reyna opened her mouth, but no words came out. She closed it and stared at Annabeth. Reyna shook her head and spoke, “It doesn't matter, Annabeth. Why don't you go and celebrate your victory?”</p>
<p>“You can't admit that I beat you fairly. You just have to make excuses,” Annabeth said. Reyna felt her eyes narrowing into a glare, and she crossed her arms angrily. The two hadn't really talked out their problems, and Reyna really wasn't in the mood to. She had tried to bypass their problems and be nice, but it wasn't working. “Is this how prideful you are?”</p>
<p>“Your pride makes you too blind to see that I was doing something nice,” Reyna snapped. She pushed herself off of the railing and walked down the stairs. Reyna shoved past Annabeth. All she needed to do was walk away and cool down. Her emotions couldn't be running wild. A hand grabbed her shoulder.</p>
<p>“Then prove it,” Annabeth said. She turned Reyna around and looked her in the eyes. It took a few moments for Reyna to look away. Reyna knew that she should have been the bigger person and just walked away. Instead, she grabbed her own sword and flipped it out.</p>
<p>“Go ahead,” Reyna said through gritted teeth. She glared at the demigod in front of her. Truthfully, Reyna didn't care who won capture the flag. It was a game, and it wasn't like it was a true test of skill or smarts. It was just a kid's game. Her eyes focused on Annabeth.</p>
<p>As if to prove her point, Annabeth slammed her sword into Reyna's, and their swords crossed exactly how they had been ten minutes ago. Reyna stared into Annabeth's eyes and felt Annabeth starting to move her wrist the opposite way than she had before. Annabeth clearly thought she could outsmart Reyna, but she was very wrong.</p>
<p>Reyna pushed her sword upwards and stopped when her hilt reached Annabeth's blade. She twisted the sword, catching Annabeth's blade on a small groove. Reyna then twisted the sword out of Annabeth's iron grip and knocked it away. Before Annabeth could blink, her sword was on the ground.</p>
<p>“I was trying to do something nice and just extend an olive branch to you,” Reyna said. She sheathed her sword and shook her head. Reyna walked towards Annabeth's fallen sword and grabbed it from the ground. She heard Annabeth's footsteps but didn't turn around. It would be best for her to calm down and not regret her next words. “I understand that you're still mad at me, but I'm just trying to make up for it.”</p>
<p>“So, you find the most complicated way to do it,” Annabeth said. Reyna turned towards Annabeth and glared. She kept her mouth shut though. There was no need to argue with Annabeth, again. “What makes you think that what you did is something we can even talk about?”</p>
<p>“Daughter of Minerva, your mother set us on that path,” Arria said. She appeared behind Reyna and grabbed her shoulder. Reyna let out a shaky, angry breath. Annabeth stared at them and looked like she wanted to say something. The grip on Reyna's shoulder tightened. “It's hard to believe, but you can ask her yourself, if you want.”</p>
<p>“My mother wouldn't do that,” Annabeth began. She didn't look like she believed her words. Reyna felt Arria grab the sword from her hand, and Arria handed the sword over to Annabeth. “Why wouldn't my mother tell me then?”</p>
<p>“She suspected it was a demon,” Arria answered. Her hand gently gripped Reyna's shoulder, almost rubbing it. Whatever she was doing was helping Reyna calm down. “If you had confronted your sibling, the demon could have easily jumped to you. Minerva was just keeping you safe.”</p>
<p>Annabeth studied the two of them for a few moments. She took a deep breath and nodded. After looking around, she spoke, “What do you mean demon?”</p>
<p>“It doesn't matter. We'll be cleansing all of your trophies in a few hours, so it doesn't happen again,” Arria said. Reyna didn't miss the way that Annabeth's eyes flickered towards them and then quickly look away. Annabeth was probably too upset to ask them all of her questions about the cleansing, and Reyna wasn't in the mood to enlighten her. “Come on, praetor. We should make sure everything is ready.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Reyna muttered. She felt Arria pull her away and walk her into the Big House. Reyna took a few deep breaths and walked inside. Arria sat her on the table and placed the ice back to her jaw.</p>
<p>“You need to relax. Annabeth will come around,” Arria said. Reyna nodded slightly and focused her gaze on the ground. The hand didn't move from her shoulder, but all of her thoughts were on Annabeth. They couldn't even have a normal conversation, and something told Reyna that the problems the two had would only get worse before they got better.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Khernips II</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Two more feet,” Reyna said. She glanced to her right and stepped over a stray rock. The last thing she needed was to trip over something and spill the cauldron everywhere. Reyna glanced at Nico and nodded. The two slowly sat the cauldron down. “What is that thing made of?”</p>
<p>“Something heavy.” Nico replied. Reyna smirked and stared down at the liquid in the cauldron. The liquid was completely clear, and as long as they didn't mess up the last few ingredients, it would stay clear. If they did mess up, Camp Half-Blood would probably get leveled.</p>
<p>Reyna glanced up at the sky. The moon was shining down upon them, and it would have been romantic, if they weren't focused on cleansing old trophies. Reyna glanced to her right. Arria opened her backpack and walked towards the cauldron. She looked inside the backpack and slowly started to set the ingredients out on the ground.</p>
<p>“So, why does it have to be done at midnight?” Reyna asked. She glanced at the trophies spread around on the ground. They were all on blankets and ready to be cleansed. “When I had to do this a couple of years ago, we did it during the day. What makes this different?”</p>
<p>“I just wanted it to be romantic,” Arria answered. She picked up a small container and examined the inside. Reyna glanced at her and almost rolled her eyes at the joke. Instead, she crossed her arms. Nico glanced at Reyna and gave her a look.</p>
<p>“What?” Reyna asked. Nico shook his head and didn't say anything. Reyna frowned and focused on counting all of the ingredients. They were missing one. Arria seemed to realize it as well and glanced at Reyna. “No.”</p>
<p>“I'll add the ingredients,” Arria offered. Reyna shook her head. “If you add an ingredient and mess it up, you will be caught in the explosion. If I do it and mess up, which I won't, you'll probably survive the explosion. Probably.”</p>
<p>“Explosion,” Nico repeated. Reyna gave him a look and waved away his concern. She had done the cleansing once before, which meant she was an expert at it. Nico didn't need to worry. “Why would there be an explosion?”</p>
<p>“The ingredients can be fragile,” Arria replied. She looked at Reyna and gave her the look again. Reyna finally rolled her eyes and nodded. Arria smirked. “I think I left it in my other backpack. It's in the first room on the right of the Big House.”</p>
<p>Reyna nodded and took off towards the Big House. She passed Chiron and glanced at the trophies he had wrapped in a blanket. Reyna spoke, “Do you need any help with those?”</p>
<p>“I can manage,” Chiron said. He smiled at her. “Thank you for doing this. I know that your schedule is pretty tight. “</p>
<p>“It's my job, and it's really not a problem,” Reyna said with a shrug. She glanced at the Big House. “I just have to grab one last thing, and we'll be ready to add the ingredients. Arria's an expert at this, so it won't take too long. Some trophies might be destroyed though.”</p>
<p>“It will be good to know that there isn't any demons floating around,” Chiron said. Reyna nodded and turned away. “You said earlier that you've experienced this before. Which one of you were possessed by the demon? If you don't want to answer, that's fine. I was just curious.”</p>
<p>“Arria was the one who was possessed,” Reyna replied. She glanced at Chiron. “It's a long story that I don't think she wants me to share. She can't be possessed again though, so that is why my mother uses her for this kind of stuff.”</p>
<p>Chiron nodded to her and continued walking. Reyna turned back towards the Big House and jogged up the stairs. She made it to the door and stepped inside. Reyna walked towards the room that held Arria's backpack, and she walked towards the table that it was laying on. A glance inside showed a dagger, a  few books, and a few containers of ingredients.</p>
<p>Footsteps hit the floor behind her, and Reyna turned around. She saw Annabeth, and it took all of her willpower to keep from glaring. Reyna had shoved aside her anger and any thoughts towards her latest argument with Annabeth. It would be easiest to just focus on her job ahead.</p>
<p>“I'm sorry,” Annabeth said. Reyna bit her tongue and didn't say a word. She grabbed the backpack from the table and threw it over her shoulder. Annabeth walked towards her. “I've been really confused lately, ever since I learned about what you did to my sibling. It changed how I looked at you.”</p>
<p>“Annabeth, I am not in the mood,” Reyna said. She took a deep breath. If she said something wrong, it would only cause another argument, and if they had another one, Reyna was probably going to throw a punch. Annabeth would deserve it too. “We can talk about this later.”</p>
<p>Instead of listening, Annabeth walked closer, invading Reyna's personal space. It was the same thing that Arria liked to do, but there was something very wrong about Annabeth doing it. Reyna didn't appreciate it either. Reyna spoke, “What are you doing?”</p>
<p>“I didn't know why it bothered me so much that my perspective of you changed,” Annabeth said. Reyna pressed herself into the table, but it caused Annabeth to move even closer. There was only a few centimeters separating the two of them. Reyna could feel Annabeth's hot breath on her face. “I know why now, and it's the same reason that I always feel different when I'm around you.</p>
<p>“Annabeth, what are you doing?” Reyna asked. It sounded like Annabeth was about to confess her feelings for Reyna, but that couldn't be true. Since Annabeth was so close, there was nothing Reyna could do besides stare into her eyes. It was true that she had a slight crush on Annabeth, but who wouldn't? The daughter of Athena was smart, brave, skilled, and off limits. She met all of the criteria that Reyna kept falling for. “You're dating Percy.”</p>
<p>“Percy doesn't have to know,” Annabeth said. Reyna blinked and tried to speak. Annabeth suddenly kissed her. For a few moments, all Reyna could do was blink and try to process what was happening. She had imagined this scenario once or twice in her dreams, but this couldn't actually be happening.</p>
<p>Reyna knew that she should have shoved Annabeth away. Instead, she gently grabbed Annabeth's face and deepened the kiss. They were going to get into so much trouble, but at the moment, she didn't care. Maybe, Venus was wrong. Maybe, Reyna could find love where she actually wanted it. Everything would probably be thrown into chaos, but for once, Reyna was focusing on what she wanted.</p>
<p>Annabeth's hands dropped from Reyna's face and down her side. Reyna paid no attention as the hands moved to her belt. All she could really focus on was how soft Annabeth's lips were. This was better than any dream. Reyna heard something fall to the ground, but she paid no attention to it.</p>
<p>In the next moment, the two were making out on top of the table. Annabeth was practically pinning Reyna to the table. Reyna pulled away to take a deep breath. She stared up at Annabeth. The stare was returned.</p>
<p>“Do you know what the best part is?” Annabeth asked. Reyna shook her head and didn't answer. All she could think about was the kiss. Annabeth Chase had just kissed her. Was she dreaming? Did she fall into some kind of opposite world? Reyna slowly focused back on Annabeth. “The best part is that no one realizes we were trying to kill you too.”</p>
<p>Reyna's hand reached out instinctively, and her hand grabbed onto a blade, only a few centimeters from her side. Her eyes widened. It seemed like Annabeth was going to slid a dagger in between her ribs and into her lungs. Reyna's other hand moved to her belt, but she couldn't find her sword.</p>
<p>A forearm pressed against her throat, and Annabeth twisted the dagger in her hand. Reyna only tightened her grip on the blade. She felt the dagger cutting more and more into her hand, but all she could do was focus on prying it away from Annabeth. Her other hand grabbed Annabeth's arm, and she tried to force the forearm away from her throat.</p>
<p>Reyna stared up at Annabeth's eyes, and she found black eyes staring back at her. A cold feeling settled in Reyna's gut, as she realized that Annabeth had been possessed by a demon. How could Reyna have not seen it earlier? It explained why Annabeth had been so off lately.</p>
<p>“I barely transferred to this body, before Bellona's little mutt found that boy,” Annabeth said. Her voice had become much more ancient, and there was a lot more steel to it. “I was hiding in one of the trophies, when that pathetic boy found me. He wanted to do something great, so I convinced him that an assassination was what he desired. Poor boy didn't remember many details though, but I'm sure you know that.”</p>
<p>“What does Annabeth want?” Reyna hissed. She manged to move the forearm away slightly. It gave her enough room to breath. “What could she want so badly that a demon would be able to easily manipulate her and convince her?”</p>
<p>“Oh, it wasn't easy,” Annabeth answered. She leaned forward more and put all of her body weight into forcing her forearm into Reyna's throat. “If it makes you feel better, she never had the confidence to take you on in a fair fight. This was how she planned to take you out, if it ever came down to it.”</p>
<p>Reyna focused on prying the dagger from Annabeth's hand, and when she was able to, she let it fall to the ground. Annabeth pushed her forearm more into Reyna's throat and used most of her weight to make sure that Reyna couldn't push the forearm away.</p>
<p>Reyna almost let out a shaky breath, but she couldn't waste any air. Her injured hand grabbed onto Annabeth's pant leg, and she grabbed Annabeth's shirt with her other hand. The table was too steady for her to use their weight to knock it over, but she could use Annabeth's momentum against her. Reyna used all of her strength to throw her weight backwards and throw Annabeth over her head.</p>
<p>It took Reyna a few moments to push herself off of the table and reach for the dagger. A shoulder slammed into her chest and rammed her into the wall. As the breath was knocked out of Reyna, she heard a cracking noise. Instead of focusing on it, Reyna slammed an elbow down onto Annabeth's shoulder. It was almost a relief to hear a popping noise.</p>
<p>Instead of pulling away, Annabeth grabbed onto a piece of Reyna's belt and threw Reyna over her shoulder. Reyna hit the ground hard and let out a choked noise of pain. She was still struggling to catch her breath from being rammed into the wall, so there was nothing she could do as Annabeth slammed a knee into her chest.</p>
<p>“Look what I found,” Annabeth said. She twirled the bloody dagger in her hand and stabbed it downwards. Reyna caught the blade once again and did her best to keep it away from her chest. Half of her focus was on trying to catch her breath, and it only caused stinging pain in her chest. The other half of her focus was on keeping the dagger from her heart. “It's a losing battle, praetor.”</p>
<p>“I'm not dying to a Greek,” Reyna hissed. Her eyes moved to the way that Annabeth was distributing her weight. She was leaning more to her right than her left, probably to compensate for her injured shoulder. Reyna focused on slowly shifting the dagger and her weight.</p>
<p>“Before I kill you, I want to know where you put my brother's dagger,” Annabeth whispered. “When you got into that argument with Annabeth, well with me, I had been upstairs trying to find the dagger, but when I heard your footsteps, I had to investigate. After that little argument, the old Centaur checked on me and kept me from the attic all night. My brother's dagger mysteriously disappeared, when I tried to find it the next day. How did you know?”</p>
<p>“I have no clue what you're talking about,” Reyna wheezed. She could feel her muscles straining at the effort to keep the dagger away, and Annabeth's knee kept digging into her side. Reyna didn't know if anyone was going to check on them. Arria would be busy showing Nico how to do the ritual, and there was no telling what Chiron was doing. She was alone to fend for herself, which was fine.</p>
<p>Reyna moved the tip of the dagger again, so the dagger wasn't pointed at her heart. She stared into Annabeth's eyes, and her hands let go of the dagger. At the same time, Reyna threw her weight to the side. The dagger slammed into her shoulder, but Reyna was able to slip around Annabeth.</p>
<p>Reyna wrapped an arm around Annabeth's neck and tightened her grip. She felt Annabeth try to stand, but Reyna just tightened her grip once again. Annabeth took a step forward but fell to her knees. Reyna closed her eyes and heard Annabeth starting to wheeze. She couldn't kill the daughter of Athena, but she choke her into unconsciousness.</p>
<p>“Annabeth could never beat me in a fair fight. You won't be able to either, especially with her fighting you,” Reyna hissed. She felt Annabeth scratching at her arm, but she ignored it. All she needed was to keep her grip for a few more seconds. After a moment, Annabeth's hand fell away.</p>
<p>After counting to five seconds, Reyna let go of Annabeth. The daughter of Athena collapsed to the ground, and Reyna almost collapsed next to her. She fell to her knees and slowly placed her injured hand to Annabeth's neck. After feeling a steady pulse, she took a deep breath and tried to stand.</p>
<p>Two hands suddenly grabbed onto her arm, and before Reyna could blink, she was locked in an armbar. She heard a tearing and popping noise a moment later. Reyna collapsed to her knees and cried out in pain. Reyna knew that Greeks were skilled at wrestling, but she didn't realize Annabeth had training in other martial arts.</p>
<p>Reyna caught onto Annabeth's leg with her free arm. She couldn't allow herself to be pulled closer to Annabeth and into a chokehold. The pain in her arm increased, and Reyna tried to reach out for her sword with her foot. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door open, and Arria stepped into the room.</p>
<p>Annabeth released the grip on Reyna's arm and kicked her backwards. Reyna collapsed to the ground, and not even a second later, Annabeth was pinning her to the ground. A sword rested against Reyna's throat. Annabeth spoke, “Why don't you close that door and keep your mouth shut, or I'll draw this blade across her neck.”</p>
<p>In response, Arria held up a black dagger with a jewel on the pommel. It almost seemed to shimmer in the light. Annabeth smiled and removed the sword. She stood and walked towards Arria. Annabeth spoke, “Brother, how did you get the Roman to grab your dagger?”</p>
<p>“I didn't,” Arria said. She moved with lightning speed and punched Annabeth in the gut. Annabeth doubled over, and Arria slammed a knee into her face. Arria kicked Annabeth's feet out from under her and spun the dagger in her hand. She stabbed it downward, but the dagger stopped an inch from Annabeth's chest.</p>
<p> “Yes, my lady,” Arria muttered softly. She stood and tossed the dagger to the side. Arria walked towards Reyna and knelt by her. Reyna stared down at her arm. She couldn't move her fingers at all, thanks to the cuts on her hand and from whatever damage Annabeth had caused.</p>
<p>“If I recall correctly, I promised to give you a lecture the next time that you got hurt,” Arria commented. She sighed and took off her shirt. Reyna stared and didn't even feel the shirt being placed to her shoulder. She blinked a few times and stared at Arria. “Hey, you have to stay with me. Stop staring.”</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Reyna answered. She glanced at Annabeth, who looked to be unconscious. “She's possessed and has been for some time. I don't know how I didn't see it.”</p>
<p>“We both know it's impossible to tell when someone is possessed,” Arria said. She sighed and wrapped her shirt around Reyna's shoulder, creating a makeshift sling. “I'll handle the exorcism, with Chiron's help. After you visit the infirmary, I will have to lecture you about almost dying to a Greek. What would your mother say?”</p>
<p>“She would disown me,” Reyna said. She smirked but slowly grew serious. It was starting to hit her that she had totally made out with Annabeth. Since Annabeth was possessed by a demon, she definitely wasn't in the right state of mind, and the demon had only really kissed Reyna to distract her from her sword being removed Why hadn't Reyna just pulled away?</p>
<p>The only thing that Reyna could think was that she had ruined her relationship with Annabeth. Of course, all of her worrying would be for naught, if Annabeth didn't survive the exorcism. She probably would, but it wouldn't be easy. Maybe, Reyna could just avoid Annabeth for the rest of her life. That would totally work. Things couldn't be awkward between them, if they didn't talk.</p>
<p>Reyna closed her eyes and felt a hand grip her uninjured shoulder. She finally nodded and opened her eyes. It took her a few moments to push herself off of the table. The door opened once again, and Nico stepped inside. He stared at them.</p>
<p>“It was not my fault,” Reyna began. Nico looked at her and then at Annabeth. The look of confusion on his face only grew. “I'll explain on the way to seeing Will or one of his siblings. Can you not tell Hylla about this? She's going to be jealous I've tied her in attempts on a life for this month.”</p>
<p>“Tied?” Nico asked. He stared at her and shook his head. Nico looked back at Annabeth. “I know the two of you had your issues, but what happened? What did you do?”</p>
<p>“Thanks for the faith in me,” Reyna muttered. She walked towards Nico and placed a hand to her side. It felt like Annabeth had cracked one of her ribs. “Annabeth tried to kill me first. Like I said, I'll explain it all in a little bit. Let's go bother your boyfriend first.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Regret</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>All Reyna wanted to do was curl up on her side and fall asleep. There was a couple of things preventing her from doing that though. The first was the screams that were echoing across the camp. The exorcism had been going on for about thirty minutes, and Reyna really wished it would be over. She could only imagine the pain that Annabeth was in trying to fight the demon.</p>
<p>As another scream echoed across the camp, the grip on Reyna's arm tightened. Will shot her a look asking for forgiveness. He was helping fit a splint onto Reyna's arm. It was crazy how much damage Annabeth had been able to do to her arm in only a few seconds.</p>
<p>“I would say that your arm needs about a week to heal,” Will said. The screams were clearly bothering him. Nico was sitting off to the right and watching them in concern. He had tried to make a joke or two to lighten the mood, but after Reyna told him what had happened, the three had fallen into silence.</p>
<p>Reyna nodded, only half listening. She just wished she could go back in time and pull herself away from Annabeth. Why had she kissed Annabeth back? Why didn't she just pull away? Reyna sighed and closed her eyes.</p>
<p>“For the loves of the gods, do not try to remove this splint,” Will continued. If Reyna had to guess, he was giving her a knowing look. “Do not spar with anyone, even if you're only going to use one arm. Do not do any heavy exercise. I wouldn't even recommend writing with that hand, if you can. Are you listening to anything that I just said?”</p>
<p>“No physical exercise,” Reyna muttered. She opened her eyes and examined the splint. Her eyes moved to her hand and the white lines that had been cuts from the dagger. Her middle finger and ring finger had gotten the worst of it, so they were stitched up and taped together. “The ambrosia and nectar repaired a lot of damage, but it still will take time to heal. I got it.”</p>
<p>“Reyna, what else is bothering you?” Nico asked. He gently grabbed Reyna's arm. It took her a moment to look at Nico. “I thought you were just in pain, but I can tell something is really bothering you. Annabeth didn't really mean that attempt on your life. You know that, right?”</p>
<p>“Annabeth and I made out,” Reyna said. As she said the words, she almost felt a weight lift from her chest. She still felt terrible about doing it, but it felt nice to tell someone. Nico blinked a few times and stared at Reyna. The look only made Reyna feel worse, and she looked at the ground. “She kissed me first, and I didn't pull away. I know she's dating Percy and loves him greatly, but all I did was continue to kiss her. I'm an idiot.”</p>
<p>Nico looked like he was at a loss for words. He finally looked away. Reyna did as well and focused back on her splint. She finally rested her head on her uninjured hand. All she wanted to do was disappear back to Camp Jupiter and stay there for the rest of her life.</p>
<p>A hand gently grabbed Reyna's arm. She opened her eyes expecting to see Nico's hand. Instead, she saw Will was the one who had grabbed her arm. Will spoke, “What exactly happened? You told us that Annabeth was possessed and started talking to you. Then, she tried to kill you. What happened in between?”</p>
<p>“While we were talking, Annabeth got really close to me,” Reyna said. “She pretty much pressed me against the table and then started talking about how she felt different around me. It was like she was confessing her feelings.”</p>
<p>“And, you didn't know she was possessed?” Nico asked. Reyna nodded and closed her eyes again. “You said that you didn't pull away, so she probably kissed you first. Then, you kissed her back. Neither of you pulled away. How did she end up trying to kill you?”</p>
<p>“The demon only wanted to remove my sword from my belt,” Reyna answered. Could the ground just open up and swallow her? “I was so focused on the damn kiss that I didn't realize it. I barely caught the dagger that was meant to slide between my ribs. I'm an idiot.”</p>
<p>“You're a teenager who has feelings like the rest of us, even if you don't want to admit it,” Will said. “In public, you can and probably have to be a stoic leader. With friends, you don't have to be. The demon probably knew that you have feelings for Annabeth, and I've seen the way your eyes have trailed around her. It used your feelings to its advantage.”</p>
<p>Reyna shook her head and felt Will gently grab her shoulder. He gently pushed her back onto the bed and placed a hand to her side. Reyna winced and clenched her jaw. How could Annabeth have such bony shoulders? Will spoke, “I think you cracked two ribs and bruised another.”</p>
<p>“You really have to stop getting hurt,” Nico teased. It seemed like they were both giving her an out to the conversation, so she was grateful to take it. Reyna rested her uninjured arm behind her head and closed her eyes. The screams had finally stopped, which hopefully meant that the exorcism was over.</p>
<p>“What is all of this stuff I heard about chariot races?” Will asked. Reyna was too tired to open her eyes, so she just made a small noise to show that she had heard. “You have to know something about it.”</p>
<p>“It's a surprise,” Reyna answered. She tried to move one of her injured fingers and could just feel the two glares that instantly moved towards her. “Bother Chiron about it. He knows all of the details. I'm just setting it up, along with a million other activities.”</p>
<p>Reyna groaned as she thought of all of the meetings that she would have the upcoming week. Everyone would also bother her about her arm. Reyna's eyes snapped open. What would her mother say about what had happened? She had already threatened Chiron. Reyna groaned and closed her eyes again. She would just have to pray to her mother and hoped she listened.</p>
<hr/>
<p>When Reyna opened her eyes again, she realized that she had fallen asleep. Nico and Will were both gone. Reyna blinked a few times and looked at her watch. She had only been asleep for around two hours. It took her a few moments to slowly sit up and place a hand to her ribs.</p>
<p>Her best bet would be to find Arria and head back to Camp Jupiter with her. They would arrive before Reyna had to start the meeting prep with Frank. He would need a lot of guidance, since they never had this many meetings back to back. Frank would do good though.</p>
<p>Reyna sighed and slowly stood. Her side ached in pain, as did her shoulder. It seemed like Reyna was in for a very long day. She heard the door open behind her, and upon turning around, her heart dropped.</p>
<p>“Hey,” Annabeth began. She looked absolutely terrible. There was dried blood on her face and clothing, along with a couple of bruises and scratches. Her eyes were bloodshot, and it looked like she hadn't gotten a good sleep in a long time, which was probably true. “Can we talk?”</p>
<p>“I have to go back to Camp Jupiter,” Reyna began. She couldn't even meet Annabeth's eyes. Now, she was really wishing she could disappear. Why didn't children of Bellona have that ability? “Arria and I have to go back before a meeting.”</p>
<p>“Whenever you have free time,” Annabeth began. Reyna nodded slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Annabeth sit down and slowly rub her shoulder. Her eyes focused on the ground. Reyna stood and walked towards the door. She grabbed onto it.</p>
<p>“I don't have a lot of friends,” Reyna suddenly said. She kept her back to Annabeth and stared at the ground. “I shouldn't have kissed you back. I should have just pulled away and left immediately. I ruined one of the friendships that I truly enjoy.”</p>
<p>Reyna opened the door and stepped out of the infirmary. She closed the door behind her and stared ahead. It didn't matter how brave she was in battle. She was a coward when it came to everything else. Reyna started to walk away, but she suddenly stopped and looked back at the door.</p>
<p>Reyna walked back towards the door and opened it. Annabeth was at the door and looked like she was about to grab the handle. Reyna slowly looked up and met Annabeth's eyes. It took Reyna a moment, but she spoke, “I'm sorry for kissing you back.”</p>
<p>“I'm sorry for trying to kill you,” Annabeth began. She let Reyna step inside. Reyna slowly walked towards a bed and sat on it. She laid down on it and stared at the ceiling. Annabeth sat across from her. “I'm sorry about all of those things that I said to you. I wish I could take it all back.”</p>
<p>“I just want to take back the kiss,” Reyna muttered. She sighed and took a deep breath. Instant regret hit her as soon as the pain in her side did. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Annabeth give her a sharp look. “You can't nag me about this one.”</p>
<p>“I can and will,” Annabeth said. She looked away after a moment. “I regret all of the stuff that I said about you and relationships. I'm also sorry about that pride stuff. I can blame it on the demon, but I won't. It's all things that I have been thinking, and I'm sorry that I was thinking it.”</p>
<p>“We all have thoughts like that,” Reyna said. She closed her eyes. “It's a sign of a good person that you regret saying it. You are a good person, Annabeth. That demon has been inside of you for over a week, and it took this long for you to lash out violently. Don't feel bad about it. The words do hurt, but I understand. I'm not mad.”</p>
<p>“I'm not really upset that you kissed me. More shocked,” Annabeth admitted. Reyna closed her eyes tighter and tried to keep her face expressionless. “I feel absolutely terrible about what I said, and I bet that you feel the same about kissing me. I didn't realize that you liked girls.”</p>
<p>“Only annoying daughters of Athena,” Reyna said. She forced her eyes open and managed a small smile. Annabeth managed one as well. Reyna sighed and looked back at the ceiling. “It's nothing more than a minor crush, Annabeth. I don't know why I kissed you back.”</p>
<p>Annabeth didn't answer. Reyna sighed again and placed a hand to her face. Annabeth finally spoke, “I'm not mad or disgusted, Reyna. You know that I don't have any feelings for you that go past being a friend. I don't want you to think that you ruined our friendship.”</p>
<p>“What's Percy going to say?” Reyna asked. Through her fingers, she stared at the ceiling. Jackson was easy going, but he probably didn't want anyone else to kiss his girlfriend. He was probably going to hate Reyna.</p>
<p>“He's a little jealous that I said you were a better kisser,” Annabeth said. Reyna's eyes widened, and she slowly looked at Annabeth. A smile and chuckle was all she got back. “He was there for the entire exorcism and was asking them a million questions. I thought Arria was going to kick him out.”</p>
<p>“How do you feel?” Reyna asked. Annabeth shrugged, and the door opened. Percy walked into the infirmary and was practically dragging Will. He stopped at Annabeth's side and gently grabbed her shoulder. Percy nodded to Reyna, eyed her for a moment, and then put all of his attention on his girlfriend.</p>
<p>Will rolled his eyes but knelt by Annabeth. He examined her shoulder and seemed to be talking to himself. Percy was whispering to Annabeth and seemed like he was comforting himself more than her. Reyna took that as her cue to leave.</p>
<p>Reyna slowly stood and met Annabeth's eyes. She gave her a nod and stepped out of the cabin. Reyna walked outside and sighed. Things between her and Annabeth would take time, but it would be okay, as long as Annabeth didn't try to kill her again.</p>
<p>“You should be resting,” Arria said. Reyna turned around and looked at Arria. A hand gently grabbed her face, before it moved down to her splint. “It looks pretty bad. How are you feeling?”</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Reyna said. She glanced up at Arria and received a smirk. Reyna slowly looked away. “We should head back to Camp Jupiter. The meetings will begin a little bit after we get back. I'm sure you'll want to slip away, before anyone can ask if you want to represent my mother in the next war games.”</p>
<p>Arria lost her smirk. Her eyes grew distant. After a moment, she blinked and shook her head. The smirk came back, and Arria motioned for Reyna to follow her. Arria spoke, “Nico said he was willing to use shadow travel to get us to Camp Jupiter. He wants to visit that centurion.”</p>
<p>“Have you received a new assignment from my mother?” Reyna asked. She looked up at Arria and received a shrug. “If there is a little bit of time between meetings, do you think we could get some dinner? It would be nice to hang out for a little bit before you leave.”</p>
<p>“I'll stop by my lady's temple, and if I don't have anything immediate, I will find you,” Arria answered. Reyna nodded and stayed focused on Arria. She told herself that she didn't have a crush on Arria, but maybe, she did have a small one. It didn't matter though. Arria wasn't looking to date anyone, and she definitely wouldn't return Reyna's feelings.</p>
<p>Reyna closed her eyes. Relationships were too complicated for her. Why couldn't she just turn off her feelings? Arria nudged her and spoke, “Are you hurting? You've been looking off in the distance a lot.”</p>
<p>“Just thinking,” Reyna answered. She sighed tiredly. “A lot's been going on, and I just need some time to think it all out. Let's go find Nico. I need to get a couple of things done before the meeting.”</p>
<p>“If the daughter of Minerva is upset, she'll come around,” Arria said. She grabbed Reyna's face gently. Reyna's eyes flickered away. “Hey, it's going to be okay. You need to relax and stop worrying about everything. That's an order from me and your mother.”</p>
<p>“She's talking to you again,” Reyna asked. Arria raised both of her eyebrows and smirked. Reyna smiled back and motioned for Arria to follow her. Arria and her mother were right. She had enough to worry about, and she didn't need to add anything else onto it. All she could do was focus on getting ready for the meeting, and hopefully, Arria would be able to find time for some dinner.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Pontifex Maximus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Let's not do that again,” Nico began. He slowly managed to extract himself from the Pegasus that he had been riding. Blackjack gave him a look and almost seemed to nod. Nico glared at the Pegasus. Piper handed two bags to Nico and jumped off of Blackjack. “Ever.”</p>
<p>“You had fun,” Piper teased. She fed a few sugar cubes to Blackjack. Nico glanced behind him and saw two Roman demigods watching them. One was leaning on the wall. Their helmet was pulled over their eyes, so it was hard to tell if they were glaring. The other was Dakota, who waved at them.</p>
<p>“Jason did say he had a special guest coming, and he asked me to step out of the meeting to greet them. I see why now,” Dakota said. He held a hand out towards Piper. “He wanted us to bring out the red carpet, in the way that only the Fifth Cohort can. Nico, no one said that you were coming. Does Reyna know?”</p>
<p>“I wanted to surprise her,” Nico admitted. He glanced at the other Roman, who had yet to budge. “I heard there would be a hour break in between the meetings. How are they going so far?”</p>
<p>“Great,” Dakota said, and he smiled. The smile seemed forced though, and it looked like he wasn't giving them the whole truth. Dakota motioned for the two of the to follow. “There is a lot of different festivals, celebrations, and war games coming up in the next few months. The praetors are a little stressed, especially since it's rumored that an immortal or two is coming to the camp.”</p>
<p>“Who would be coming?” Piper asked. She glanced at the other Roman and tried to hide her frown. Piper leaned in closer to Dakota. “Are they okay? They look like they're upset.”</p>
<p>“She's asleep,” Dakota said. He glanced at his watch. “She's been running around for the past two days, on punishment. Anyway, someone started a rumor that Mars or Bellona are just going to appear during one of the war games or celebrations. Mars will do it in some kind of grand way. I don't know how Bellona will appear, but it scares me to think about. Reyna is terrifying by herself. I can't imagine how scary her mother is.”</p>
<p>Dakota glanced at them and walked towards the other Roman. He nudged her and whispered something into her ear. The Roman slowly brought both her hands to face and seemed to rub her eyes. She walked towards them and mumbled a greeting in Latin.</p>
<p>After a moment, Dakota motioned for them to follow. He led the way and whistled loudly. The other Roman stared at the ground as she walked. Piper glanced at Nico and spoke, “Why are there all of these meetings back to back?”</p>
<p>“Bad luck,” the other Roman answered. Nico could just hear how tired she was. “A lot of the celebrations just happen to fall back to back, To break up all of the seriousness, they throw in different kinds of war games. This year marks the return of the gladiator fights.”</p>
<p>“Gladiator fights?” Piper asked. She glanced at Nico again, and he gave her a confused look. Camp Jupiter had gladiator fights? “I know a few children of Ares that would be interested in watching that. Why were the fights taken away?”</p>
<p>“Let's see. It was four years ago, I think. Someone lost a few fingers. Another person had both of their knees shattered, which I still think was a total accident. Someone broke their back, right? I remember there was a few concussions too. Those were pretty nasty,” Dakota explained.</p>
<p>“Someone also lost their eye,” the other Roman added. She sighed tiredly and nodded to Dakota. She took the lead from him and led Piper and Nico towards the Principia. As they walked, the Roman glanced back at Piper. “I was told to be your personal escort, as you wait for Jason.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Piper said. She gave the Roman a bright smile, but she received nothing in return. Part of Nico knew it was because of how tired the Roman was, but something told him there was more to the story. “Jason told me the Senate was putting a vote forward on whether to promote him to Pontifex Maximus. Did they come to a decision?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” the Roman answered. She sighed tiredly and led them through a small crowd of Romans that were watching two men spar. Nico watched for a moment and noticed how they were only using poles for weapons and speaking to the crowd in Latin. “Jason lobbied to almost every single member of the Senate, and he thought that he had all the votes. It came down to one vote against him, and upon a revote, he lost three votes.”</p>
<p>Nico frowned. He remembered Jason telling them once or twice that his position as Pontifex Maximus was a lock. The Senate had discussed promoting him after the war with Gaea, but it had been held off for months as they were focused on replacing the augur and ensuring peace with Camp Half-Blood went well. Now that they were further away from the war, a few members of the Senate seemed to be thinking twice about it and claimed that the position shouldn't be filled unless Camp Jupiter was at war and both praetors were dead. That was what Jason had overheard at least. Jason claimed to have enough friends on the Senate that he would definitely be promoted, so what had happened?</p>
<p>“Jason didn't tell me that,” Piper said. She frowned. “How is he taking it? I know that he was looking forward to the promotion. We were even going to celebrate it with some dinner.”</p>
<p>“I don't know,” the Roman said. Nico wasn't great at social cues, but he could just hear that the Roman was lying. Piper seemed to notice it as well. The three of them kept walking, and they made it outside of the Principia. As they walked, Nico could feel someone watching them.</p>
<p>Nico turned around but didn't see anyone. He frowned and sighed. It was probably paranoia from riding Blackjack. Everyone had told him that he couldn't use shadow travel for at least a week had passed since his last trip. He still have four days to go, and Will would probably still keep him from shadow traveling after that.</p>
<p>Nico turned back around and saw someone standing only a few inches from him. His cry of surprise was caught in his throat, and he took a step backwards. Piper turned her head and jumped as well. Arria gave Nico a small smirk and glanced at the two of them.</p>
<p>“Evelyn, you should go lie down,” Arria said. She glanced at the Roman on her right. “You look like you're about to pass out. If anyone wants to yell at you, they can talk to me about it first. I'll finish escorting these two.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Evelyn began. She slowly nodded and turned away. Evelyn practically stumbled away. Arria turned towards Nico and Piper. Her eyes studied the both of them. Nico found himself staring at Arria's armor. It was the exact type of armor that a Roman legionnaire would wear, but it was pitch black and had a sword crossed with a torch on her right shoulder. </p>
<p>“The meeting will be out in about five minutes,” Arria said. She focused her attention on Nico and studied him. A small smile came to her face. “Praetor Ramirez will be glad to see you. It seems like she's had a rough past few days. And, it's also an honor to have a child of Venus grace this camp, especially one as powerful as you.”</p>
<p>“I'm not that powerful,” Piper began. Arria still had the small smirk on her face, but she didn't say a word. As Nico spent more time with Arria, he found himself understanding her less. It was hard to get a read on her, and there seemed to be a lot that she was hiding. Nico would definitely have to talk to Reyna about it.</p>
<p>Arria suddenly glanced to the right and lost her smirk. Her face slowly grew serious, and she spoke, “I will be right back. My lady calls.”</p>
<p>“Have fun,” Piper began. She gave Nico a confused look. All he could do was shrug. Arria turned and walked away, leaving the two alone. “She's seems nice. Kind of guarded though. I can see why Reyna likes her.”</p>
<p>“Everyone seems to see that, except for Reyna,” Nico said. Piper gave him a knowing smile. “Gods, it's like with me and Will, isn't it? How can I get Reyna to see that she just needs to ask Arria out?”</p>
<p>“You can't make her,” Piper answered. “All you can do is try to talk her into it. We don't really know Arria though, and I can't tell if she likes Reyna back. I think Reyna might be scared to admit her feelings, especially after what my mother said to her.”</p>
<p>“What did you mother say?” Nico asked. Piper glanced at him in surprise. She opened her mouth and slowly closed it. Piper frowned and still seemed to be surprised. Nico frowned. It was odd to think that Reyna hadn't told him anything. They told each other everything.</p>
<p>“I thought Reyna told you. I'm not sure if she's comfortable with me sharing it,” Piper said. Nico nodded in understanding. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dakota walking towards them. Dakota glanced around and frowned.</p>
<p>“I stepped away for two minutes to go back to the meeting. Where is Evelyn at?” Dakota asked. He reached towards his belt and frowned. Dakota sighed and felt around his belt. He looked down and sighed sadly. Nico noticed that Dakota didn't have the normal amount of red around his lips.</p>
<p>“Arria told her to get some sleep,” Piper answered. Dakota slowly looked around. He nodded and then looked back at the two of them. “Arria said that if someone was upset, they could talk to her about it.”</p>
<p>“That's good,” Dakota said. He nodded slightly. “Speaking of Arria, do you guys want to join in on the bet? You can throw in those Greek coins that you got. We'll even take weapons. It's a winner take all kind of bet.”</p>
<p>“What's the bet?” Nico slowly asked. He knew that he was going to regret the question. Dakota grinned and looked around again. He moved in closer. After a moment, Dakota motioned for them to lean in even closer. They slowly did.</p>
<p> “The bet is about Arria. Who or what is she? This bet has been going on for about a year now,” Dakota began. He glanced around for a third time. “There are some theories out there. Jason thinks she's secretly a daughter of Bellona and not just an agent. Her eyes aren't black though. Gwen thinks she was raised by Lupa, kind of like Jason was. Bobby thinks that she's from one of the outskirt tribes in Rome and got brought here by Bellona. I know what she is though. Arria is secretly Bellona.”</p>
<p>Piper tried to stifle her laugh but couldn't. Nico even allowed himself to grin. Dakota gave both of them looks and opened his mouth. Piper shook her head at him and glanced up. She waved. Nico looked up and saw Hazel and Frank standing by the doors of the Principia.</p>
<p>“We'll talk later,” Piper promised Dakota. She grabbed Nico's arm and quickly led him away. Nico chuckled slightly and shook his head. Dakota was all kinds of crazy. The two made it towards Frank and Hazel. Both of them looked tired, but Frank looked ready to fall asleep on his feet.</p>
<p>“Why does every single one of Isaac's reports have to be so detailed?” Frank asked. He yawned and gave both of them a tired smile. His eyes focused on Nico. “Reyna will be happy to see you. I know she's tired of me telling her to not use her hand or to breath too deeply.”</p>
<p>Nico smiled and held up the bag. He spoke, “We didn't forget you two. We have food for all of us, Reyna, and Jason. Can you guys find a place to eat at, and we'll meet you there?”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Frank answered. He gave Hazel a look, and she frowned. Frank looked back at Nico. “Things have been a little tense between Jason and Reyna. I think it's just the stress of all the meetings and the whole Pontifex Maximus thing.”</p>
<p>Nico nodded and handed the food off to them. He led Piper into the Principia. As they walked, Piper looked around and examined the Principia. She seemed to be surprised by it. Nico led her past the entrance and further into the Principia.</p>
<p>As they made it towards the table, Nico found the two demigods they were looking for. Jason was leaning on the table and crossing his arms. Reyna was standing a few feet away and glaring at him. Reyna spoke, “Thanks for making me look like an asshole.”</p>
<p>“You don't need much help doing that,” Jason said. Nico stared and slowly looked at Piper. She seemed just as surprised as him. Piper quickly composed herself and intentionally made her shoes squeak on the floor. Jason and Reyna looked at them and seemed surprised.</p>
<p>“Jason,” Piper said. She half jogged over to him and hugged him tightly. Jason smiled and hugged her back. Reyna glanced at Nico. It was easy to see the anger in her eyes, and she didn't look too happy to see him. “We got dinner for everyone. We heard there was only a hour in between the meetings.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Jason said. He glanced at Reyna, and it wasn't hard to see the anger in his eyes. Piper gently kissed him, and that seemed to distract him. Nico glanced at Reyna and gave her a confused look. His best friend watched all of them and placed a hand to her splint.</p>
<p>Reyna finally turned and walked out of the Principia. Nico didn't hesitate to follow behind her. He made it to her side and tried to figure out what to say. Reyna stopped walking and looking at him. She spoke, “Leave me alone.”</p>
<p>“I heard what Jason said. What happened?” Nico asked. He knew that he was probably only making his friend angrier, but he couldn't calm her down if he didn't know the problem. Reyna rubbed her splint again. She finally took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After a few more deep breaths and some winces, she opened her eyes again. “Reyna, I haven't seen you this angry in awhile.”</p>
<p>“I never did support the Senate's decision to name Jason as Pontifex Maximus. It is something that should only be reserved for the most desperate of times. Jason knows how I feel about it, and he just assumed I would support him,” Reyna said. She rubbed her face with one hand and took another deep breath.</p>
<p>“You were the one vote that stopped it,” Nico said. Reyna nodded and looked at him. “Then, they had another vote. I'm guessing because it was so close. Jason received more votes against him, and now, he's mad at you.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Reyna muttered. “He's been fighting every decision I've been making, and he's been putting forth ideas that we can't do. I look like an absolute ass, since I have to shut him down. A lot of people like Jason, and when I go against him, I look like a bitch, even if my decisions are for the good of Camp Jupiter.”</p>
<p>Reyna took another deep breath and closed her eyes. She seemed to be counting backwards from ten, and it clearly wasn't working. Nico gently grabbed her shoulder and spoke, “We can eat somewhere by ourselves.”</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna said. She opened her eyes. “It will look good to play nice with Jason in public, especially after all of the arguing in the meetings. Enough with my problems. How have you been, Nico?”</p>
<p>“I've been fine,” Nico answered. He glanced at Reyna's arm. She still had her splint and was keeping her arm close to her side. “How's you arm doing? Annabeth was wondering. She still feels pretty bad.”</p>
<p>“If I move it, Frank will give me these looks like he is trying to lecture me,” Reyna said. She smirked. “I had one of the doctors check up on it this morning. They said it will take a few more days. I'm not using it. I promise.”</p>
<p>“I'm watching you,” Nico teased. He glanced around and almost expected Arria to appear by their side. When he didn't see her in sight, he glanced back at Reyna. “I thought you said Arria was leaving.”</p>
<p>The scowl came back to Reyna's face. She rubbed her splint again and spoke, “We have a gladiator tournament that starts tomorrow. Jason brought it forward that we should have all of the immortals represented in this tournament, and since I'm too injured to fight, it's only fitting that Arria represents the immortal that she is an agent of.”</p>
<p>“I'm guessing that's a problem,” Nico began. Reyna nodded, but she didn't offer any explanation. She finally made a motion with her head. Nico nodded and led her towards where they had left Hazel and Frank. Jason was already standing there with Piper.</p>
<p>There was a clear tension in the air. Reyna looked at Jason, and he gave her a slight nod. The tension in the air seemed to clear a bit, but Nico could tell that their truce was only temporary and probably wouldn't even last the hour.</p>
<p>“We should eat,” Piper said. She held up the bags. “We brought the best food that we can get: Sally's cooking. Now, I get the pie. If anyone tries to put their hands on it, we will have some problems.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. One Simple Question</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, Coach Hedge walks up to the project that Leo and I had stayed up all night finishing. We barely got it done on time, but I thought it looked pretty good. He actually gave us what sounded like a compliment. Then, it catches on fire. Leo is staring at me, and I'm staring at him. Coach Hedge watches the fire for a moment and finally just walks away,” Piper said. She grinned widely. “I'm trying to put out the flames, and Leo is just laughing the entire time.”</p>
<p>Reyna forced herself to smile at the story, but she kept her eyes on the table. She was too tired to pretend like the conversation actually interested her. All she wanted to do was find a bed and go to sleep for a day. Her arm and ribs were still aching, and she hadn't gotten a good night of sleep ever since the meetings started.</p>
<p>Jason couldn't get over his ego and desire to be Pontifex Maximus. If he wanted it that badly, he couldn't be trusted to have the position. The position should only be filled if Camp Jupiter was about to collapse, but Jason didn't seem to understand that. He didn't respect her wishes.</p>
<p>“That reminds me of the time I almost set one of the arenas on fire,” Jason said. He smiled at Piper. “I was going to use lightning to set this torch ablaze. It was suppose to look really cool. Well, I had a cold, and in the middle of firing, I sneezed and ended up missing my shot and hitting the stands. They had to postpone the gladiator games that year.”</p>
<p>Why couldn't Jason mind his own business? Why did he have to volunteer Arria for the gladiator games? Reyna sighed and realized the table had fallen dead silent. She glanced up at noticed that everyone was looking at her. Someone had asked her a question, and she had no clue who had asked or what it was.</p>
<p>“I was wondering that too,” Frank said. Reyna looked at him and wished someone would enlighten her on exactly what the question was. “I figured that you would dominate in the gladiator games. Did you?”</p>
<p>“I did participate in my first year here,” Reyna said. Her eyes glanced at Jason and then back at the table. “I made it to the semifinals, and then, I got half of my helmet slammed into my face. I didn't realize how bad it was until I pulled off my helmet, and blood just kind of poured down my face.”</p>
<p>“It was pretty scary,” Jason said. He gave Reyna a look. They were at a truce, but it probably wouldn't last long. “I remember watching. The shield to helmet hit looked pretty brutal, but Reyna still managed to disarm the child of Mars that she was fighting. She fell to her knees and pulled her helmet off. That's when the praetors called off the fight.”</p>
<p>“So, you always do get hurt,” Nico teased. Reyna glanced at him and rolled her eyes. She focused back on the food and realized that she had barely eaten anything. She focused on the food and not the conversation. All she wanted was the appearance of being friendly with everyone, but she was too tired to actually participate.</p>
<p>Reyna played with her food and stared at the table. Part of her focus was on all of the meetings. The other half was on Arria. Reyna sighed and wished she could turn off all of her thoughts. Why couldn't she get Arria out of her head? Reyna glanced up at the demigod across from her.</p>
<p>“Piper, can we talk alone?” Reyna asked. Piper looked at her in surprise and nodded. Jason shot both of them a suspicious look, but Reyna ignored it. She really didn't care what he thought. The two demigods stood and walked away from the table.</p>
<p>“I heard what happened between Jason and you,” Piper began. Reyna nodded and stuck her hands in her pockets. Her injured shoulder hurt, even from the small movement. She sighed and focused on walking with Piper. “Nico and I heard what he said. I haven't talked to him about it yet.”</p>
<p>“I'm actually looking for dating advice,” Reyna interrupted. Piper gave her a surprised look but nodded. Reyna stopped walking and looked at her. “There's this girl that I like, and at first, I thought I just wanted a physical relationship. You know, like friends. With, um, benefits. I didn't have to worry about the emotions or an actual relationship. Now, I don't even know.”</p>
<p>“You mean Arria, right?” Piper asked. Reyna gave her a surprised look. Piper only smiled. “I've seen how you act around her, Reyna. You look relaxed. The only other time I really see you like that with is Nico. What do you need advice about?”</p>
<p>“I don't know if Arria likes girls or if she would even want to have that kind of relationship with me,” Reyna said. Piper gave her a look and sighed. A small smile came to her Piper's. Reyna looked away and rubbed her splint.</p>
<p>“You just said that you and Arria have sex together. She's also always flirting with you. If she didn't like girls, she wouldn't do those things,” Piper said. “Reyna, it's pretty clear that Arria likes you.”</p>
<p>Reyna looked away. She sighed and closed her eyes. Reyna spoke, “Does Arria really like me though? Or, is she just following my mother's orders? Arria would do anything that my mother told her, and if my mother told her to make sure I wasn't lonely, she would see to that.”</p>
<p>Reyna tried to meet Piper's gaze, but she couldn't. Her face felt red. Reyna rested her hand on her splint and just wished that she could disappear from the conversation, even though she was the one who wanted the advice.</p>
<p>“Would your mother really do that?” Piper asked. Reyna nodded and looked back at the ground. Her mother would want her daughters to be happy and focused on their jobs. Bellona would do anything to make sure that happened. “So, you're not sure if all of the stuff between you and Arria is real or just your mother's fabrication?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Reyna muttered. She sighed and closed her eyes for a few moments. “I hate this feeling of not knowing, Piper. I hate these emotions. All I can really think of is Arria, instead of the things that I should really be focused on. I don't know how to get over these feelings.”</p>
<p>Piper laughed and gave Reyna a kind smile. After a moment, she spoke, “Reyna, you have a crush. There's really no way for you to get over your feelings, other than acting on them. You will never know if Arria truly likes you, unless you ask her. If it makes you feel better, I don't think the flirting is because of your mother.”</p>
<p>“Does Arria really flirt with me?” Reyna asked. Piper smiled again and looked extremely amused. Reyna frowned. She couldn't remember a time that Arria had flirted with her. The most Arria had done was kiss Reyna in front of Nico, and they also slept together. There wasn't much talking happening during that though. “When?”</p>
<p>“Why don't you just pull Arria aside and ask her how she feels?” Piper suggested. Reyna sighed and looked down at the ground. It couldn't be that easy, could it? How was she just suppose to walk up and ask Arria how she felt? People didn't just do that.</p>
<p>“I guess,” Reyna began. She shifted awkwardly and felt the familiar presence behind her. Reyna slowly turned to look at Arria. It was like Arria knew that she was the center of the conversation. Piper looked at the two of them and quickly made an excuse to leave. Before Reyna could protest, Piper was gone.</p>
<p>“Children of Venus are odd,” Arria commented. She glanced at Reyna and smirked. Reyna just stared at her and tried to ignore the emotions building in her chest. “Praetor Ramirez, I just received an assignment from your mother. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the upcoming war games.”</p>
<p>Reyna couldn't hear the relief in Arria's voice, but she could sense it. Reyna nodded. She tried to force the question out of her mouth, but all she could do was stare ahead. Why was it so hard to ask one question? Reyna finally forced herself to nod, and she received a smirk.</p>
<p>“We'll find a replacement,” Reyna finally said. She wanted to say more, but she couldn't. Why was it so hard to ask a simple question? Maybe, things weren't mean to be be. Maybe, Venus was right, and wasn't the goddess always right? Reyna would never find love where she wanted it. Why did she even bother?</p>
<p>“You look distracted,” Arria commented. Reyna glanced at her but still couldn't force the question out of her mouth. What if Arria said no? What if she really was just keeping Reyna happy, under Bellona's orders? “Hey, you aren't thinking about trying to participate, right?”</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna whispered. Arria nudged her and made a motion with her head. Without another word, she started to walk away. It took Reyna a moment to follow. They left the mingling Romans behind and made their towards Bellona's temple.</p>
<p>The walk was silent, mostly due to the fact that Reyna was still struggling to get that one, all important question out of her mouth. That was all she wanted to do. Why were emotions so hard? Reyna stopped walking and took a deep breath.</p>
<p>“I'll be gone for a few weeks,” Arria said. Reyna looked at her. Could she really ask Arria now? It didn't matter what Arria's answer would be. It would only distract from her from her mission. Reyna closed her eyes and realized she was just making excuses. All she needed to do was ask. That was all she had to do. “I haven't forgotten though.”</p>
<p>When Reyna opened her eyes and began to ask her question, she saw a wrapped box in Arria's hand. Arria handed the box to her and studied her for a reaction. Reyna looked down at it confused. It looked like a gift. Why would she be getting a gift?</p>
<p>“I probably won't be here for your birthday,” Arria said. Reyna frowned. She hadn't even realized her birthday was coming up. Gods, she couldn't let Nico know. He would totally get her back for the birthday party that she threw him. “Open it.”</p>
<p>Reyna slowly opened the wrapping paper and pulled out a box. She could feel how intense Arria's gaze was. After glancing up, Reyna opened the box and stared at the watch that was inside. She picked it up and examined it.</p>
<p>The watch was black, and at a first glance, it seemed to be normal. Upon closer examination, she saw that each of the numbers on the watch were replaced by a type of weapon. A dagger was where the twelve was. A javelin was where the one would be, and it continued throughout the watch. The hour hand was signified by a sword, and the minutes hand was signified by a torch.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Reyna began. She was in shock by the gift. It was probably one of the most thoughtful things anyone had ever gotten her. Reyna looked up and felt Arria gently help her put the watch on. Arria gently placed her finger to the dial on the side and used it to scroll a small, gold arrow around the watch. She stopped the watch on the twelve o'clock spot and pressed in on the dial. A dagger suddenly appeared out of the watch and in Reyna's hand.</p>
<p>Reyna stared at the dagger and slowly examined it. The dagger was definitely made of Roman materials and seemed to be just as deadly as any other Roman dagger. Arria clicked the dial again, and the dagger disappeared. Arria spoke, “It will work for each of the weapons, but if you move the dial and press it again, it will replace the weapon in your hand. Consider it a gift from me and your mother.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Reyna repeated. She had never seen anything like it before, and she was honestly in shock. Reyna could feel tears in her eyes, even if she didn't know why. Reyna had celebrated her birthday a few times, but to actually have someone remember it ahead of time and give her a gift was a new experience. “This is probably the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever given me.”</p>
<p>“You deserve it,” Arria said. She glanced around and kissed Reyna gently. Arria gently pressed Reyna against a pillar of Bellona's temple and continued to kiss her. Reyna returned the kiss and finally felt Arria pull away. “I will see you in a few weeks, Praetor Ramirez.”</p>
<p>“Wait,” Reyna whispered. She looked at Arria and gently grabbed her. Reyna suddenly kissed Arria again and pinned her to the pillar this time. Arria seemed surprised, and Reyna only pulled away slightly. “I want to talk about us.”</p>
<p>“Us?” Arria asked. Reyna nodded and looked up at Arria. It was still hard for her to voice the question, and she was nervous about what Arria would say. Would she say no, or would she just be all mysterious? “What exactly are you wondering about us, Reyna?”</p>
<p>This was the moment of truth for Reyna. All she had to do was get the words out.  It was four simple words. It wasn't hard. All she had to do was spit the words out. Reyna found herself unable to speak, and all she could do was look at the ground. Why was it so hard?</p>
<p>“Piper said you were flirting with me,” Reyna began. It was hard even getting those words out. Arria watched her emotionless. There was the small smirk on her face, but she always had that smirk. It didn't tell Reyna what she wanted to know. “Are you doing that because you actually like me, or are you doing that to appease my mother?”</p>
<p>Arria gave her a confused look. She blinked a few times and seemed to be thinking of a response. Arria spoke, “What do you mean by that?”</p>
<p>“You've kissed me, and we sleep together. But, you also flirt with me,” Reyna began. She looked down and swallowed painfully. “Are you doing that because my mother told you to, or do you actually have feelings for me?”</p>
<p>Arria opened her mouth and seemed to be thinking about her response. She frowned and closed it. Reyna wasn't use to seeing Arria stumped, but it didn't make her feel any better about her chances. Why hadn't Reyna just kept her big mouth shut?</p>
<p>“I've been flirting with you?” Arria asked.  Reyna stared at her. How could she not know that she was flirting with Reyna? Arria suddenly smirked and laughed. “Reyna, I do have feelings for you, and your mother doesn't have any influence in that. I've been doing my best to be respectful of your boundaries. The question is do you want to make it official or keep it like it is?”</p>
<p>“It's your choice too,” Reyna said. She glanced up at Arria again. “You're not in that life anymore, Arria. I don't want you to think that you have to like me back, just because I like you. I want you to be comfortable as well.”</p>
<p>Arria nodded and seemed to think over the words. She glanced to the right and suddenly slipped away from Reyna's grasp. Reyna took a step away and glanced to her right. She saw Jason walking towards them. It would be like him to ruin the moment.</p>
<p>“Promise not to run off with any guys or girls while I'm gone,” Arria said. Reyna smiled and nodded. “Good. I would hate to see my girlfriend with someone else. Only if you're ready for that term.”</p>
<p>Girlfriend. Reyna had to repeat it mentally a few times, but the smile on her face grew wider. It didn't matter that Jason was closing the distance. Reyna glanced at Arria and spoke, “I am, if you are.”</p>
<p>“I am,” Arria said. She grabbed Reyna's face with her hand and gave her a gentle kiss. Arria pulled away and studied Reyna. She walked past Jason and disappeared from sight. Reyna watched Arria leave, and she couldn't wipe the smile from her face.</p>
<p>Jason slowly looked at her and then where Arria had gone. He seemed to be in a state of shock, and there was something else in his eyes. It didn't look like disgust, which was something she had never seen in his eyes, and she wasn't expecting to see it anytime soon. What was it though? Jason spoke, “We really need to talk about things.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Reyna said, but she didn't even hear Jason. All she could do was repeat the word girlfriend over and over in her head. Reyna took a deep breath and tried to clear a mind. She had a girlfriend. “I have to talk to Nico. I'll see you at the meeting.”</p>
<p>As Reyna went to walk away, Jason grabbed her arm and spoke, “You're not even listening to me, are you? We have a serious problem between us, and we really need to talk it out.”</p>
<p>“I already told you my opinion on it, Jason. We've been arguing about this for days now. You do deserve a special position, but that is not it. I'm sorry, but Pontifex Maximus is not it,” Reyna said. Jason crossed his arms. “Jason, I'm in too good of a mood to have you ruin it.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Jason muttered. He shoved past Reyna and started to walk away. Jason turned his head and looked at her. “What would the Senate say about your newfound relationship with Arria? Praetors really shouldn't mingle with ambassadors.”</p>
<p>Reyna slowly looked at Jason and felt anger fill her veins. Jason met her eyes and finally looked away. He sighed and looked like he was going to apologize. Reyna stormed past him and stalked back to where they had left their friends. She looked back down at the watch that Arria had given her, and it help her calm down. Arria was officially her girlfriend, and that was all that really mattered.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. The Talk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nico really should have known it was a trap when they advertised pizza. It was just too tempting though. He had woken up in his cabin, and the first thing he had seen was a flyer that promised pizza, if he went to the Big House at eight that night.</p>
<p>It should have been suspicious that pizza was being offered after dinner, but it was pizza. They were probably just trying to hide it from Chiron, which was counter productive with it being at the Big House. It was also weird that only Will and Piper seemed to get the flyer as well. Everyone else looked at them like they were crazy.</p>
<p>Now, Nico was sitting in a room with Piper and Will. Reyna was sitting off to the side and looking through files. She had stopped by Camp Half-Blood for only two hours, to run through a couple of files with Chiron. Hazel was also visiting, as she was trying to practice shadow travel.</p>
<p>“It went pretty well. I only passed out for two minutes this time, and Reyna only threw up once,” Hazel said. Reyna glanced up and gave a confirming nod. Nico gave his best friend a questioning look, and she gave another nod. It seemed like Reyna had shared some of her strength with Hazel, but it didn't look like she had told Hazel.</p>
<p>“I don't see any pizza,” Piper commented. She glanced around and then looked at Reyna. After a moment, the praetor slowly looked up. “You disappeared before I could congratulate you on your new girlfriend.”</p>
<p>“Nico, I told you not to tell anyone,” Reyna said. She gave him a scathing look, but red was overtaking her face. Reyna buried her face in the file that she was looking over. Hazel glanced up at Nico in surprise and then looked at Reyna. Will had the same surprised look.</p>
<p>“Oh. Did you not tell everyone?” Piper asked. It took a moment for Reyna to lower the file and give a slight nod. It was Piper's turn to look embarrassed. “I'm sorry. I thought you had told everyone already.”</p>
<p>“It's okay,” Reyna began. “Wait. How did you even know that she said yes?”</p>
<p>“I watched you,” Piper answered with a shrug. Reyna stared at her. “Is your mother mad that the two of you were making out against her temple?”</p>
<p>“I'm going to ignore that question,” Reyna said after a moment. She glanced around the room, and her gaze focused on Hazel. “I was just trying to keep it quiet. I don't want anyone in the Senate to think that I am distracted from my current duties.”</p>
<p>Nico heard two sets of footsteps, and he turned, expecting the promised pizza. Instead, he watched Annabeth and Percy walk into the room. Annabeth walked towards the table that held a laptop. She inserted a flashdrive into it and grabbed a remote.</p>
<p>“Do we have to watch that orientation video again?” Nico asked. He glanced at Percy. The video had been pretty cool, but that was before his life had changed forever. Nico shook his head and kept himself from remembering his sister. Instead, he looked up at Reyna.</p>
<p>“I still can't believe that Jason talked about making one for Camp Jupiter,” Reyna commented. She looked up at Annabeth, and a small smirk came to her face. “It's not like we're a bunch of soft Greeks. I think a Roman demigod can find the right way to point a sword.”</p>
<p>“Brave words from someone who's wearing a blanket,” Annabeth countered. Reyna rolled her eyes and glanced down at her toga. She then shrugged and looked back down at the files. Annabeth smirked and motioned to Percy, who closed the door of the room. “We called you all here for something very important.”</p>
<p>“Pizza?” Piper asked. She leaned back in her seat and had a deadly serious look on her face. Nico glanced back at Annabeth and Percy. Annabeth was typing into the laptop and using a remote to turn on a projector. Percy was playing with his pen, and unless it had gained magical pizza making abilities, Nico was starting to think they had been tricked.</p>
<p>“Reyna and I aren't intruding on private business, are we?” Hazel questioned. She looked at Nico, and all he could was shrug. He really had no clue what all this was about. As far as Nico knew, nothing earth shattering had happened. “We can step out.”</p>
<p>“You two are fine,” Annabeth. She turned and stared at Reyna. After ten seconds of silence, Reyna slowly looked up from her file. “Some of us need to have this talk more than others do. Today, we have to talk about something that is hard to talk about, but everyone needs to get this talk.”</p>
<p>“It's something that your parents would talk to you about,” Percy said. He started pressing random buttons on the laptop, as if to get it to work. Whatever presentation they were trying to show was taking forever to load. “And, I know that your immortal parents won't have this talk, and your mortal parents probably haven't, for whatever reason. Today, we are your parents.”</p>
<p>“Hey mom,” Reyna interrupted. She looked up at Annabeth. “I just want you to know that the ribs you cracked are all healed up. One of the Roman doctors said that you had to have incredibly bony shoulders to crack two ribs like that. He told me it was probably due to lack of muscle.”</p>
<p>“Mom, did you lie about the pizza?” Piper asked. She was grinning and seemed to be enjoying herself. Annabeth took a deep breath and looked at Percy. He just shrugged and grinned. “I might have to call child services on you.”</p>
<p>The teasing was interrupted by the laptop making an odd noise. Nico looked at it and could have sworn he thought that he saw smoke coming from it. The projector finally showed what looked like the beginning of a slideshow. Nico looked at the wall and stared at the words on there.</p>
<p>“All of you have something in common,” Percy said. Nico stared at the words on the projector, but it was nearly impossible to read. The words were yellow on a wall of red. Percy pressed a button, and the words all broke apart disappearing. Annabeth elbowed him. “Hey! You said I could add effects.”</p>
<p>“You can't even read the words,” Annabeth complained. Nico watched the two of them and slowly leaned back in his seat. He was able to see the presentation, and even though it was hard to read the words on the slide, he was able to read what the slideshow was saved as.</p>
<p>“The sex talk?” Nico asked. The effect around the room was instantaneous. Haze's face turned a crimson red, and she immediately started fanning herself. Piper's eyes widened in surprise, and her jaw dropped. Will started laughing. Reyna lowered her files and seemingly had all of her attention on the conversation. “Why would we need a talk about that?”</p>
<p>“All of you are dating someone,” Annabeth said. Reyna shot Nico a sharp look that held a question behind it. Nico smiled meekly. He didn't mean to tell Annabeth, but it had kind of slipped out. It took him a moment to look back at the laptop, but Annabeth closed it. “We just want all of you to have this talk and be safe about anything you want to do.”</p>
<p>“I really don't need to be here,” Hazel began. She was still fanning herself, and her blush was still very clear. “Frank and I aren't anywhere near that. I don't even want to do that. Can I go?”</p>
<p>Percy and Annabeth looked at each other. After a silent conversation, they nodded, and Percy spoke, “We can trust the two of you. If it doesn't make you comfortable, you can leave this conversation.”</p>
<p>“I'll be right behind,” Reyna commented. She slowly tried to stand, but Annabeth crossed her arms. Percy did as well. Reyna slowly looked at them. “I don't have to stay here for this.”</p>
<p>“Actually, you do,” Annabeth said. Reyna looked like she wanted to protest, but she was met with two stern looks. Nico snickered, and Reyna sent him a glare. “I've seen how handsy your girlfriend gets around you, and that was before you were dating. You need this talk more than everyone else.”</p>
<p>Reyna blushed worse than she had earlier, and she looked down at the ground. Hazel slowly stood and spoke, “I'm going to leave now. If there is actually any pizza, can you save me a slice?”</p>
<p>“Hazel, you aren't going anywhere. That's an order from your praetor,” Reyna said. Annabeth shot Reyna a look and crossed her arms once again. The daughter of Bellona smiled slightly. Nico could see the game that was being played. Annabeth and Percy wouldn't give their speech, if Hazel was in the room. They wouldn't make her uncomfortable.</p>
<p>“Hazel, you can ignore orders and leave,” Annabeth said. Reyna looked at Hazel and crossed her arms. Annabeth looked at Hazel and did the same. It was clear that Hazel was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. When she looked at Nico, he quickly looked away. There was no way he was going to get dragged into the middle of this. If they were distracted, there was a chance he could sneak away.</p>
<p>“It really comes down to who scares you more,” Will commented. Hazel glanced at Will and then slowly looked at everyone in the room. Her eyes moved in between Annabeth and Reyna. Then, she looked at the ground and settled in her seat. Reyna smirked.</p>
<p>“Did you hear that?” Percy asked. He tilted his head and walked towards Hazel. Percy grabbed her arm and gently pulled her to her feet. “I think Chiron is calling for you. It would be best to go find him and see what he needs.”</p>
<p>Reyna tried to protest, but Percy quickly led Hazel out of the room and closed the door behind him. He turned and leaned against the door, blocking any kind of escape. Piper glanced at Nico and spoke, “I'm sure my dad has already given me this talk. I can just leave.”</p>
<p>“He hasn't. I asked,” Annabeth said. Piper stared at Annabeth, and she looked down. Piper opened her mouth, but the daughter of Athena held up a hand. “Charmspeak isn't going to get you out of this either. You and Jason both need to have this talk.”</p>
<p>“I'm a child of Apollo. I know all about the diseases and stuff that you get from not being careful,” Will interjected. He glanced at Nico. “So, I should be able to be anywhere but here. I think that sounds pretty fair.”</p>
<p>“I just don't want to be here,” Nico added. He couldn't believe that Annabeth and Percy were trying to give them the talk. Those two were the ones that couldn't keep their hands off of each other. Nico eyed the corners of the room and tried to see if there was enough shadows to travel out of there. “I'm not really interested in that stuff.”</p>
<p>“It's still a good thing to be educated on,” Percy said. He crossed his arms. “That is why all of you are going to listen. Now, there comes a time in every demigods life that they find someone that they really like.”</p>
<p>Nico looked at the wall and stared ahead. This really couldn't be happening. His relationship with Will was suppose to be a private thing. They sat together in public and kissed a few times, but that was it. They didn't do anything else, and Nico wasn't ready to.</p>
<p>As uncomfortable and awkward as it was, it was almost endearing that Annabeth and Percy wanted to have the conversation with them. They cared a lot, but it was really embarrassing. This was not something he wanted to talk about. Nico glanced around the room and tried to keep himself in his thoughts and tune all of the words out.</p>
<p>Will was humming softly to himself and had his eyes closed. He definitely wasn't paying any attention to the lecture. Piper was playing with a part of the desk that was coming apart. She wasn't paying attention either. Reyna was reading the file and was most certainly not hearing a word anyone was saying. All Nico needed to do was stay focused on anything else but the two demigods in front of him.</p>
<p>“Are any of you paying attention?” Annabeth asked suddenly. There was nods all around the room, other than Reyna who was still looking at the file. “This is an important conversation to have. Sally gave it to us. You're lucky that we didn't have her give it to all of you.”</p>
<p>Nico zoned out again and focused on the upcoming chariot race. With all of the minor gods now having cabins, they were going to need to do more than one race and have a bracket system to determine a winner. Chiron was making a whole week out of it and encouraging them to have fun.</p>
<p>Nico and Will were already designing the coolest chariot in the world. The hard part would be building it, but Nico was a little excited. He would be able to hang out with Will and show up Clarisse. Winning didn't matter as much as shutting up the Ares cabin.</p>
<p>A loud whistle broke Nico out of his thoughts. Annabeth crossed her arms and gave all of them scathing looks. Percy seemed to be amused by everything. Annabeth spoke, “I don't think any of you are paying attention.”</p>
<p>“Not really,” Reyna muttered. Nico shrugged and glanced to his right. Will had stopped his humming, but his eyes were still closed. Was he asleep? Piper looked at them and slowly raised her hand. Annabeth took a deep breath and closed her eyes.</p>
<p>“Mother, can I go to the restroom?” Piper asked. Annabeth shook her head and sighed. “Oh, sorry. Mother, may I go to the restroom?”</p>
<p>“This was a bad idea, wasn't it?” Annabeth asked. Piper smiled and nodded slightly. Nico quickly nodded his agreement. “We just wanted you guys to be safe about everything. Demigods live dangerous lives and have to grow up faster than mortals. We experience things a lot faster, and that includes milestones in a relationship.”</p>
<p>“I appreciate it,” Piper said. She stood and leaned on the table. “Jason and I aren't ready to go that far yet, but we are both acutely aware of all the risks. I do appreciate that you took time out of all the craziness to try and set this up.”</p>
<p>“It is kind of touching,” Nico added. He looked at Annabeth and Percy. “We all appreciate it, but I think it's something we all need to experiment with, other than Reyna. You guys should give her an individualized lecture about all of that stuff.”</p>
<p>“Arria's given me plenty of lessons,” Reyna muttered. She looked at Nico and then seemed to realize that other people were in the room. Reyna closed her eyes, and Piper started laughing. Nico winced and could almost feel Reyna's embarrassment.</p>
<p>“Speaking of your girlfriend,” Annabeth said. Her tone was teasing, but there was a happy smile on her face. Reyna looked down but couldn't stop her smile. “When is she going to get back from her top secret mission? I have to ask her something.”</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Reyna admitted. She stood and closed the files. Reyna gathered them up and looked at Annabeth. “It should hopefully only be another week or so. I need to find Chiron, so he can look these over. What do you have to talk to her about?”</p>
<p>“Just a few questions,” Annabeth answered. She glanced at Nico, and he nodded. They weren't going to question Arria as much as threaten her. Nico was still trying to find the perfect threat. If Arria hurt Reyna, something terrible would happen to her. Nico just wasn't sure what it was yet. He would think of an appropriate threat soon, hopefully.</p>
<p>“When I see her, I'll let her know,” Reyna said. She nodded towards Nico and walked out of the room. Nico slowly stood and looked around the room. It looked like it was clear for him to leave, but he would have to wake Will up first.</p>
<p>To his surprise, Will was already on his feet and making his way to the door. Had he faked being asleep the entire time? Will winked at Nico and left the room without another word.</p>
<p>“So, I have a very important question,” Piper said. She turned a deadly serious look on Annabeth and Percy. Her arms crossed. “Where is the pizza that was promised?”</p>
<p>Nico nodded his agreement. Piper definitely had her priorities straight. Annabeth glanced at Percy. He shrugged and gave her a look that said it was her idea. Annabeth looked at them and was trying to think of a way to break the news.</p>
<p>“I don't really like to use my charmspeak on my friends, but when someone promises pizza and doesn't come through, I might have to make an exception,” Piper threatened. The dead serious look in her eyes kept it from being funny. Annabeth sighed.</p>
<p>“Alright, I'll talk to the Stolls and get some pizza for tomorrow. We'll meet at Percy's cabin. Besides, we have a few things to discuss,” Annabeth said. She gave Nico a look. Nico really didn't know what they were going to discuss, but if there was pizza, he would definitely be there.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. The Inquisition</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How do they not trip over this?” Annabeth asked. She was struggling to correctly put on her toga, and it was pretty fun to watch. Of course, Nico had plenty of practice putting one on, but it was nice to see Annabeth be not perfect at something, for once. If she didn't get it in two more minutes, he would help.</p>
<p>Nico glanced around the guest room that they were waiting at. It was a place that ambassadors and visitors could mingle, before they met with the Senate. Nico knew that it wasn't a very serious meeting, but apparently, Camp Jupiter had assigned an ambassador to Camp Half-Blood. They were going to meet that ambassador.</p>
<p>Annabeth finally managed to fix her toga, and she took a deep breath. It almost looked like she was relieved. Nico debated teasing her about it, but he figured it would be best to keep his mouth shut. Annabeth was stressed enough, since she wanted to make a good impression on the Romans after the little firing on Camp Jupiter fiasco.</p>
<p>“I think I'm ready,” Annabeth said. She looked down at herself and took a deep breath. Nico stood and walked towards the door. He opened it and then looked behind him. Annabeth looked like she was overthinking everything and only freaking herself out.</p>
<p>“You need to calm down. You'll be meeting with two friends and the new ambassador. Frank and Reyna wouldn't pick someone who was incompetent or wouldn't work well with you,” Nico said. Annabeth looked at him and nodded. “Besides, they're probably more scared of you than you are of them.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, Nico. I appreciate it,” Annabeth said. She walked out of the room, and Nico followed her. As they made their outside, the feeling in the air seemed to change. Nico stopped walking and looked around. He realized that the feeling in the air was fear. As he glanced around, it wasn't hard to find out why.</p>
<p>Three figures were walking straight towards the Principia, and any demigods they came near gave them a wide berth. All three of the figures wore Roman armor and black cloaks. A hood was drawn over their heads. A strange power seemed to flow off of them, and it caused even Nico to back away.</p>
<p>“The Inquisition,” Hazel said. Nico slowly looked behind him and gave Hazel a small smile. After a moment, Hazel returned it, but she still looked nervous. “I've only heard things about them. They are either children of Veritas or extreme worshipers. They don't appear at Camp Jupiter, unless it is something extremely important.”</p>
<p>Two of the cloaked figures stopped outside of the Principia and nodded towards the one in the middle. They returned the nod and slowly walked inside. Annabeth stood there for a moment and then looked at Nico. He understood the question that her look gave him, and all he could do was nod. Unfortunately, the weird, scary cloaked figure had gone into the same area that they had to go.</p>
<p>Annabeth took a deep breath and walked towards the Principia. She had to pass by the two cloaked figures, and they both eyed her. As Nico got closer, he realized they were both wearing solid, black masks. There was no distinct features to the mask that Nico could make out, other than the blue eyes that belonged to one of them and the green eyes that belonged to the other.</p>
<p>Annabeth met their eyes and continued to walk. She marched straight into the Principia. It was a good thing that one of them was confident. Nico quickly followed behind and tried to avoid the piercing gaze. He wasn't quite sure how to describe it, but it almost felt like he was back in the Underworld with someone waiting to judge him.</p>
<p>Nico hurried inside the Principia and saw that everyone inside the building had froze. Jason, Reyna, and Frank were all standing in a circle and looked like they had been deep in conversation. Now, they were all staring at the cloaked figure.</p>
<p>Jason seemed to be in a state of shock. His jaw was half open, and his eyes were shooting around. Frank took a few steps backwards. Reyna had a look of fear in her eyes, and she was staring at the cloaked figure. Jason quickly stepped behind Frank and Reyna.</p>
<p>“Inquisitor, we weren't expecting you,” Reyna began. It sounded like she had barely stopped herself from stuttering, and she looked absolutely terrified. Reyna glanced back at Jason and shoved him forward. Jason shot her a look. “What do we owe this h...honor?”</p>
<p>“Praetor,” the cloaked figure hissed. Nico felt the hair on the back of his neck raise. Whatever was under that cloak could not be a demigod. The voice was unnatural and not human. Reyna glanced back at Frank and almost seemed to be volunteering him to step forward. Frank quickly shook his head. “Ramirez.”</p>
<p>Reyna slowly looked back at the cloaked figure, and even though she didn't say a word, Nico could see all of the curses running through her head. She shot Frank a look and seemed to elbow him in the side. After a moment, Reyna walked towards the cloaked figure, and the two left the Principia.</p>
<p>As Reyna walked by Nico and Annabeth, she gave the two of them a small nod. Her eyes shot Nico a look that begged for a way out. Nico could only watch as the two left. Annabeth gently grabbed Nico's arm and led him towards Frank and Jason.</p>
<p>“Who was that?” Annabeth asked. She looked directly at Frank. It looked like Frank was still in a state of shock, so all he could do was shake his head. Jason took a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief.</p>
<p>“The lead inquisitor,” Jason answered. He shook his head. “They really don't come around, unless someone is in serious trouble. They only talk to the people in trouble. I've heard stories, and none of them are good. They can just force their way into your memories, or they can grab your face and make you talk. There is no escaping them.”</p>
<p>“What trouble did Reyna get herself in?” Nico asked. Frank shook his head. Jason even looked concerned. It took a moment for Nico to clear his thoughts and turn towards Frank. “Annabeth is here to meet the new ambassador to Camp Half-Blood.”</p>
<p>“You're looking at him,” Jason said with a smile. Annabeth let out a relieved breath, and she smiled. Since it looked like the three of them had things well in hand, Nico was going to find his friend and make sure that she wasn't in too much trouble. Nico nodded to them and hurried out of the Principia.</p>
<p>Since all of the Romans demigods were just standing around and staring, it wasn't hard to see where the cloaked figure had taken Reyna. After taking a moment to gather his courage, Nico started to speed walk after the three cloaked figures.</p>
<p>They walked for three minutes, until they were at the outskirts of Camp Jupiter. A demigod or two had been standing around and looking like they were doing something they weren't suppose to, but as soon as they saw the Inquisition, they ran out of sight. Nico tried to keep his distance, but he needed to hear the conversation. His only choice was to stick to the shadows.</p>
<p>“Veritas' temple is back that way,” Reyna began. She turned towards the cloaked figure, the lead inquisitor, in the middle, and the lead inquisitor stopped walking. The other two stepped behind Reyna. It took a few moments for Reyna to look back at them. “I guess we're not going to the temple. What is this about?”</p>
<p>“We've heard a rumor,” the lead inquisitor said. Their voice didn't sound as demonic as before, which was really nice. The voice almost sounded feminine, but something was distorting it. Reyna swallowed painfully and slowly crossed her arms. The lead inquisitor didn't say another word.</p>
<p>Reyna stared at the person in front of her, and they seemingly stared back. After a very painful thirty seconds, Reyna spoke, “Rumor?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” the lead inquisitor said. The two cloaked figures grabbed Reyna's arms, and one kicked her in the back of the knee. Reyna fell to her knees and slowly looked up at the lead inquisitor. A hand grabbed Reyna's jaw tightly.</p>
<p>Nico started to step forward, but he forced himself to stop. If he interfered now, he might only get Reyna in more trouble. Nico stepped back into the shadows. If they did anything else to hurt Reyna, he wouldn't hesitate to take them out.</p>
<p>“It's a rumor about your transgressions,” the lead inquisitor said. Reyna stared up at them and took a shaky breath. It looked like she was doing her best to hide her fear, but Nico could see it wasn't working well. “Are you and an ambassador dating?”</p>
<p>“Not an ambassador really. More of an agent who also doubles as an ambassador,” Reyna answered. She swallowed painfully, and her eyes moved away. The grip on her jaw seemed to tighten. Reyna's eyes flickered around, but she didn't seem to see Nico. It was taking all of Nico's willpower to not interfere.</p>
<p>“Who?” the lead inquisitor asked. They didn't let go of Reyna's jaw, and they forced Reyna to meet their eyes. Was the leader a child of Veritas, and could they really tell if someone was telling the truth just by touching them?</p>
<p>“It's an agent of my mother: Arria. We started dating about a week ago,” Reyna said. She looked up. “It does not affect my duties. I do not put her before anyone else. I swear that on my mother and position as praetor.”</p>
<p>The two cloaked figures let go of Reyna's arms and stepped away. The lead inquisitor grabbed onto Reyna's jaw with both hands and pulled Reyna to her feet. They stared at each other for a few moments, but no more words were said.</p>
<p>The lead inquisitor finally lowered one of their hands. The other hand grabbed part of Reyna's toga, and they slammed Reyna into the wall. A dagger was placed to Reyna's neck. That prompted Nico to step out of the shadows.</p>
<p>“Stand back, son of Pluto,” the lead inquisitor ordered. Nico stopped walking, but it was mostly from shock. How did they know he was watching? Nico forced himself to walk forward. He expected the other two cloaked figures to block his path, but they simply watched him.</p>
<p>“Praetor, I want you to listen closely,” the lead inquisitor said. They pressed the dagger deeper into Reyna's neck, but it wasn't enough to draw blood. “If you hurt Arria or treat her wrong, I will find whatever reason I can to have you flogged, crucified, and exiled. Is that understood?”</p>
<p>Nico stopped walking in confusion. They were threatening Reyna, if she hurt Arria. That meant a few things. One, Reyna wasn't currently in any real danger. Two, Arria had to be close to the lead inquisitor. Three, someone had totally beaten Nico and Annabeth to the punch when it came to threatening someone in that relationship. Of course, Nico was planning on threatening Arria, but now, he had to find a way to outdo these freaks.</p>
<p>“Understood,” Reyna said. The dagger was removed from her neck, and she stared ahead. The lead inquisitor pulled away. “I can't imagine that you took time out of your busy schedule just to threaten me.”</p>
<p>The lead inquisitor grabbed Reyna's jaw once again and forced her head against the wall. They spoke, “Arria deserves happiness. Do not ruin this for her, or I will make good on my promise. Do you understand me, daughter of Bellona?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Reyna said. The lead inquisitor pulled away and turned around. The other two followed behind their leader, and they all walked away. Reyna slowly laid her head against the wall and sat down. She stared at the ground.</p>
<p>“Are you okay?” Nico asked. He waited till the Inquisition was out of his sight, and he ran to Reyna's side. She shook her head and rested her face in her hands. “I've never seen you look that scared before. What makes them so special?”</p>
<p>“About three years ago, they randomly appeared like that and pulled someone aside. It was a centurion, and well, we didn't realize they had been crucified until someone mentioned their absence,” Reyna said. Nico stared and wished that Reyna was joking. Instead, she brought her knees to her chest and rested her head on them. “They weren't making empty threats.”</p>
<p>Nico finally placed a hand to Reyna's shoulder. He gripped it and stared at the ground. Now, anything they threatened Arria with would look insignificant. It wasn't like Nico wanted the threat to look cool, but it was pretty cool how three people had managed to terrify an entire camp of Romans. They also wouldn't follow through on that threat, right? Lupa would have some say if they tried to do that to one of her praetors. Right?</p>
<p>“I thought they learned about my patricide,” Reyna whispered quietly. She slowly looked up at Nico. “If they found out Nico, the things that they threatened me with today are a light punishment. The things that Bryce said when he was threatening me are a light punishment. There is one thing that Camp Jupiter will not tolerate, and that is patricide.”</p>
<p>“No one will ever find out,” Nico promised. Reyna closed her eyes and laid her head back. Nico nudged her shoulder. “Hey, let's hang out tomorrow. I want you to go over the plans Will and I have for the chariot race.”</p>
<p>“Tomorrow?” Reyna asked. Nico nodded and watched her. He was careful to keep his face expressionless. “Why tomorrow?”</p>
<p>“Will and I were going to start building the chariot tomorrow. I just thought the hardcore Roman could give me advice. I know you've participated in a few and even won a couple,” Nico said. Reyna shrugged, but a small smile came to her face. “Tomorrow then?”</p>
<p>“Tomorrow,” Reyna agreed. She studied Nico for a few moments, and Nico helped Reyna to her feet. “Hylla and I will probably be hanging out in the morning, so it will be sometime in the afternoon. We should go back to the Principia, before Annabeth can scare away the newest ambassador.”</p>
<p>“Was that your idea?” Nico asked. He followed behind Reyna, and she gave him a small nod. “I guess you and Jason made up then?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. We talked it over, and this was the best solution. He's still a little upset that I, in his words, blindsided him. I'm still really upset that he threatened to expose my relationship with Arria,” Reyna said. She took a deep breath and seemed to relax. “We're not back to being great friends, but then again, we haven't been like that ever since he flaunted his relationship with Piper in my face.”</p>
<p>Nico nodded slightly. Reyna stopped walking and looked back at where the Inquisition had gone. She shivered and then started walking again. Nico stayed by her side and spoke, “So, anything we threaten Arria with is going to look pretty pathetic in comparison, right? The only one who would come close to matching that is your sister.”</p>
<p>“I haven't told Hylla yet, and I'm not sure how to break the news to her,” Reyna said. She looked at Nico. “Please do not tell her. I'll tell her when I'm ready, but I know she's going to get all overprotective and bother me about it.”</p>
<p>“I promise that I won't tell your scary, older sister,” Nico said. He gave her a gentle smile. Reyna managed to return it, and the two made it into the Principia. “I don't have to be nice to Jason now, do I?”</p>
<p>“Of course not,” Reyna replied. She took another deep breath and seemed to relax. “You guys literally have to annoy Jason and make his life miserable. Otherwise, I will have to talk to Chiron about finding new leaders for each of the cabins.”</p>
<p>Nico laughed and gently punched Reyna's shoulder. If it wasn't for the fact Reyna was still favoring her arm, Nico would have punched her a lot harder. He also had to be nice, for the next day at least. Reyna glanced at him and spoke, “Hey Nico, did Arria tell you that my birthday is tomorrow?”</p>
<p>Nico stopped walking and stared at her. He finally sighed and nodded. Nico spoke, “Yeah. I was trying to surprise you. That's kind of why I wanted to hang out.”</p>
<p>“I'll be there,” Reyna promised. She smiled at him, and they made their way towards their three friends. Jason and Frank both looked relieved that Reyna wasn't hurt. Annabeth was already holding onto twenty files. Reyna looked at them. “Good news. The Inquisition only threatened to kill me.”</p>
<p>“That's good,” Frank commented. He blinked a few times and shook his head. Frank looked up at Annabeth and Jason. “I hoped the two of you cleared your schedule. There is a lot of things that we need to go over, and Reyna said I can take the lead on this. I want everyone to settle in and be quiet. We're in for a long night.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Reyna's Birthday</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Is everything ready?” Nico asked. He stared at the Iris message in front of him, and it was taking all of his willpower to keep from jumping through the message and throttling Frank. He liked the son of Mars, but everything had to be perfect. Frank glanced behind him, and the look on his face told the entire story.</p>
<p>“It's getting there,” Frank began. Nico shot him a look and pointed at his watch. Frank shrugged, and the door behind Nico started to open. He ran a hand through the Iris message and jumped on his bed. Reyna stepped into the cabin, gave Nico a nod, and peeked her head back out.</p>
<p>“Of course, Annabeth. You go get those files,” Reyna said. She stepped back into the cabin and looked at Nico. “We have to go somewhere else, anywhere else, right now. Annabeth's already planned out like twenty new temples and wants me to look over them. She also has all these renovations for the existing ones. It's been like ten hours, Nico.”</p>
<p>Nico laughed to himself. As far as he knew, Annabeth had stayed up all night working on plans. Reyna sighed and walked towards Nico. She collapsed onto the bed next to him. The two of them stayed in silence for a few minutes.</p>
<p>“I created a monster,” Reyna finally decided. She rested her arm behind her head and sighed again. Nico glanced over at her and smiled. It looked like Reyna was relaxing, and she didn't seem to be too upset. That meant that Reyna and her sister hadn't gotten into an argument.</p>
<p>“Happy birthday,” Nico said. Reyna smirked and glanced at him. She nudged him with her knee and then focused back on the ceiling. “How was the lunch with Hylla? Did you tell her yet?”</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna admitted. Nico sighed. If Reyna kept waiting to tell her sister about her new girlfriend, Hylla's reaction would only be more extreme. “I'm going to tell her, later. Besides, she's got all this Amazon stuff to worry about. Lunch was good though. We didn't fight at all.”</p>
<p>“That's a surprise,” Nico teased. He was shoved off the bed a moment later and found himself laying on the ground. Nico laughed and slowly got to his feet. They both heard a rapid knock on the door, which probably belonged to Annabeth. “You know she's a Camp Jupiter problem now, right?”</p>
<p>“Shut up,” Reyna muttered. The cabin door opened, and Annabeth walked in carrying a box. She placed it on the ground. Nico turned his head and looked at all of the files that were inside. There was way more than twenty. Reyna groaned and laid her head back.</p>
<p>Nico laughed and looked at Annabeth. She glanced at Reyna and then gave Nico an understanding nod. Nico held up two fingers and then stepped out of the cabin. Before he could even get three feet, someone wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Reyna turned him back towards the cabin.</p>
<p>“Nico, I think you have an eye for fashion and design. Everyone knows it. You should stay with Annabeth and I. You can offer up your thoughts and suggestions on absolutely everything that Annabeth brings forward,” Reyna said. She tightened her grip on Nico's shoulder and gave him a sharp look.</p>
<p>“I think it should be something that's just between Camp Jupiter and Annabeth. Don't you?” Nico asked. The grip on his shoulder tightened even more. He needed to step away and make sure that the preparations for Reyna's surprise party were going well, but it's like Reyna knew that was what he wanted to do. Something told Nico that he shouldn't have waited till the last day to get everything ready, but he also had no choice but to wait.</p>
<p>“You're not going anywhere,” Reyna whispered. She practically shoved Nico back towards his cabin. Nico bit back a groan. Frank could probably handle the preparations by himself, but he definitely didn't want to spend his free time sitting in on a meeting about temples.</p>
<p>Nico wished something could help him escape from the meeting. His prayers were answered almost immediately as they heard someone yell. Nico didn't quite catch what was being yelled, but he did hear the sound of something being punched hard, followed by a scream.</p>
<p>“Oh great,” Annabeth muttered. She gently pushed past the two and jogged towards the sound of conflict. Reyna glanced at Nico and then around the camp. For a moment, it looked like she was going use the time to escape, but in the end, she turned and followed after Annabeth. It would be like Reyna to go towards a fight.</p>
<p>Nico hurried after his friend and stepped past one of the cabins. He stared at the scene in front of him. Two children of Ares were in the middle of pulling Clarisse backwards. Clarisse wasn't really fighting them. Her focus was more on her bloody hand, and she was taking deep breaths.</p>
<p>Drew was laying on the ground about ten feet away. She had both hands to her face, but blood was pouring from between her fingers. Two of her siblings were standing there in shock. One of them finally knelt by Drew and tried helping her.</p>
<p>“Mitchell and Lacy, take Drew to the infirmary,” Annabeth ordered. Mitchell looked at Annabeth and then slowly knelt by Lacy, almost reluctantly. They both practically picked Drew up and struggled to lead her away. One of the children of Ares, Mark, helped the two of them.</p>
<p>Annabeth took a deep breath and slowly turned towards Clarisse. The two of them stared each other down. Clarisse was still rubbing her hand and didn't look remorseful at all. Out of the corner of his eye, Nico saw that Reyna was watching the scene intensely. It was like she wanted to know how Annabeth would handle it, or she just really liked fights.</p>
<p>“Clarisse, what are you doing?” Annabeth asked. She tried to say more but only shook her head. “I get you're all stressed about trying to find a college and pass on leadership, but what kind of example are you leaving behind? Why did you do this?”</p>
<p>“Drew needs to learn to keep her mouth shut,” Clarisse answered. She raised her chin defiantly and stepped closer to Annabeth. The daughter of Athena didn't back down. “Drew has been getting out of hand this past week and insulting my siblings at every turn, and then, she decides to insult me.”</p>
<p>“That's not a good enough reason,” Annabeth began. Clarisse shook her head and stepped away. She took a few deep breaths.</p>
<p>“Drew told me that I am the reason that Silena died!” Clarisse snapped. She took another deep breath. “And, she is right. It is my fault that Silena died, but that's not why I punched her in the face. I punched her in the face because she said that Silena was not a hero; she was just a traitor. Drew needs to learn to respect the dead!”</p>
<p>Annabeth opened her mouth to respond, but she slowly closed it and looked down. Nico looked away as well. He remembered Silena. It was true that Silena had been working with the Titans, but when Clarisse had her cabin sitting out of the war, Silena disguised herself as Clarisse to lead the cabin into battle. She had died trying to fight a drakon.</p>
<p>“Silena was my friend, and I will not allow anyone to disrespect her memory,” Clarisse said. Her voice was much more quiet than normal, and if Nico looked closely, he could have sworn that he saw tears in Clarisse's eyes.</p>
<p>“If she was your friend, she must have been hero,” Reyna interrupted. She glanced at Nico and gave him a small nod. Reyna stepped towards Clarisse and grabbed her arm. She started to lead Clarisse away. “Why don't you tell me about her?”</p>
<p>Nico watched the two of them walk away, and he let out a deep breath. He was a lot more comfortable with death than the others, but it still hurt to think about those demigods that had died. It's not like Nico really knew them, but it could have easily have been him who died. A shaky breath left him.</p>
<p>“I should tell Chiron what happened,” Annabeth whispered. Nico nodded slightly. He followed behind Annabeth, as she took off towards the Big House. “I think this is only going to make Drew worse.”</p>
<p>“I don't think so,” Nico began. Annabeth glanced at him. “Everyone looked really uncomfortable. I don't think Drew's attitude is magically going to change, but when she sees how the rest of her cabin treats her once word spreads, she'll probably keep her mouth shut.”</p>
<p>“I'm surprised that you being around Reyna has seemed to make you smarter,” Annabeth teased. Nico rolled his eyes but let a small smile come to his face. They stepped into the Big House and found Chiron was at the main table. He was holding a box in his hands.</p>
<p>Chiron looked at them and handed the box to Nico. A smile came to Nico's face, and he spoke, “Thank you. I didn't think it would already be done.”</p>
<p>“It is a birthday gift; therefore, it takes priority. I like Reyna as well,” Chiron said. He motioned towards the table, which had a small bit of wrapping paper and some tape. “I was going to wrap it, but I heard something happened.”</p>
<p>“I'll show you,” Annabeth said. She nodded to Nico and led Chiron away. Nico watched the two of them walk away, and he walked towards the table. Since the gift was for Reyna, the wrapping had to be perfect.</p>
<p>After carefully measuring the wrapping paper, Nico slowly began to wrap the box. He used his sword to cut the paper and tape. It took about an eternity, but Nico finally finished wrapping the gift. He stepped back and examined his handiwork.</p>
<p>The door behind Nico opened, and he quickly shoved the box into his pocket. Reyna stepped into the room and sounded slightly out of breath. She cleared her throat and nodded to Nico. Her eyes didn't seem to notice the wrapping paper or tape, only because Nico was sitting on them.</p>
<p>“What's up,” Nico asked. Reyna looked like she was trying to play it cool and leaned on the wall. Nico realized she was still trying to catch her breath. “Did something happen?”</p>
<p>“Clarisse and I were just talking, and then, Frank interrupted with an Iris message. He told me that Arria was back and was looking for me,” Reyna explained. Nico nodded. That was the code they picked for everything being ready. It felt bad to trick Reyna, but it was a necessary evil. “I don't mean to abandon you.”</p>
<p>“It will be nice to go to Camp Jupiter,” Nico said. He reached behind him and balled up the rest of the wrapping paper in his hand. As Nico stood, he stuffed the ball of wrapping paper in his back pocket and followed Reyna out of the Big House. She practically dragged him towards the nearest shadows. Nico was already feeling stronger.</p>
<p>It only took ten seconds for them to find a big enough shadow and appear near the Principia. Nico stumbled slightly but was steadied by Reyna. She glanced at him, and he gave her a small nod. Apparently, Will was right. If Nico didn't use shadow travel a lot, the effects wouldn't be as bad.</p>
<p>Reyna started walking towards the Principia, and Nico sighed deeply. He leaned on a wall for a moment and then pushed himself off of it. Nico followed after Reyna and saw she was already halfway to the Principia.</p>
<p>“You're walking pretty fast,” Nico teased. Reyna stopped walking and looked back at him. After a moment, she took off walking again. It was slightly slower than before, but she was clearly excited. Nico started to feel bad.</p>
<p>“This is my normal pace,” Reyna argued, but she only seemed to speed up. Nico was so far behind that he had to jog to catch up to Reyna. Her focus was on the Principia. “Camp Jupiter seems quiet. I wonder who broke what.”</p>
<p>“Someone probably started a war,” Nico said. Reyna glanced at him and rolled her eyes. She stopped at the entrance of the Principia and fixed her hair. After a moment, Reyna shot a glare back towards Nico, and he tried to hide his grin. Reyna stepped into the Principia, and the entirety of Camp Jupiter yelled surprise.</p>
<p>To Reyna's credit, she didn't freak out and jump at anyone for surprising her. Instead, she looked around the Principia and stared at all of the demigods. Her eyes then moved towards the decorations that covered the room. Finally, her eyes moved towards Nico. Reyna whispered. “I am going to kill you.”</p>
<p>“Happy birthday,” Nico said. Reyna glared at him, but she forced a smile on her face and turned back towards the entirety of Camp Jupiter. Reyna quickly made her way through the crowd, thanking the demigods that were there and listening to happy birthdays.</p>
<p>Nico smiled and saw Hazel walk towards him. Hazel spoke, “I'm surprised that we actually managed to pull it off. Reyna looked surprised, and she's definitely going to have to give a speech now.”</p>
<p>“I'm in trouble for my birthday next year,” Nico said. He chuckled to himself. Nico was in danger, but he had a year to worry about it. Now, he needed to make sure that Reyna had a good birthday party and didn't have time to be mad at Nico.</p>
<p>Nico made his way towards a table that was filled with punch and a lot of Roman goodies. He snagged a brownie and a cup of punch. His eyes wandered around the room. Reyna was almost done making her rounds. Music was starting to play around the Principia, and it looked like the Romans were ready to party.</p>
<p>Nico was pretty sure that a couple of building would get burned down. Greeks had crazy parties, so how bad would the Romans be? They didn't have a lot of parties, according to Reyna. She would never say why as well, but Nico could guess.</p>
<p>Reyna finally made her way back around to Nico and stared him down. She spoke, “This is all touching and everything, but I'm going to kick your ass in sparring to make up for it.”</p>
<p>“I'm sorry for lying about Arria being back, but it was the only reason we could think that would get you here immediately, short of an emergency,” Nico said. Reyna shrugged and smiled to show no harm was done. “I did have to upstage the party you threw me.”</p>
<p>“Just wait for next year,” Reyna promised. Nico smiled, but he saw the evil look in Reyna's eyes. His smile slowly died away, and he realized that he really was in trouble next year. He had time to find an excuse though.</p>
<p>Nico reached into his pocket and pulled out small, wrapped box. He handed it over to Reyna. After a moment of staring at the box, Reyna unwrapped it and opened it. Her mouth opened slightly. Nico smiled.</p>
<p>“Happy birthday,” Nico said. He could see the surprise on Reyna's face. Reyna slowly pulled the necklace out of the box. It was the same necklace that all campers of Camp Half-Blood had, but there was only one bead on Reyna's necklace. The bead had a picture of the Athena Parthenos painted on the bead. “It's a little bigger than the other Camp Half-Blood beads and not officially approved, but I put the same one on my necklace.”</p>
<p>“It's perfect Nico, thank you,” Reyna said. She slowly put the necklace on and smiled. Nico returned the smile, and before he could react, Reyna trapped him him in a tight hug. Nico hugged her back. “I do appreciate all of this, Nico. Thank you.”</p>
<p>“You deserve it,” Nico whispered. Reyna smiled at him and finally pulled away. She looked down at the necklace, and a bigger smile came to her face. “Besides, I've been trying to find a way to embarrass you, and now, everyone knows when your birthday is.”</p>
<p>“You're hilarious,” Reyna said. She rolled her eyes, and someone appeared at their side. They wrapped an arm around Reyna and pulled her close. The praetor looked to her side and smiled. “Hylla, did you know about this too?”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Hylla said. She gave Nico a look and nodded towards him. Nico returned the nod. Hylla looked at Reyna. “Now, I'm going to enjoy the food. Don't try to run out on your own party, without me at least”</p>
<p>“I will,” Reyna promised. Hylla smirked and pulled away from her sister. She walked towards the table of food. Reyna watched her older sister and sighed. Her head then turned towards Nico. “We can slip out in about ten minutes. The Romans just need an excuse to party. Besides, Frank got me a whole tray of these amazing brownies for my birthday, and I'm willing to share one with you.”</p>
<p>“Your generosity knows no bounds,” Nico teased. Reyna laughed and nodded to Nico. She stepped away to talk to Frank. Nico glanced around the room and smiled to himself. Surprisingly, the party had gone off without a hitch. Now, all he needed to do was enjoy the night.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Momus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"It's not hot," Reyna argued. She stared down at the chicken that she had just eaten and then stared into Nico's eyes. He seemed to be debating if it was worth to eat it or just give up. In the end, Nico sat the chicken down and looked at the table. "I guess I win."</p>
<p>"Why are we doing this?" Nico asked. Reyna shrugged and looked at the chicken again. Her mouth was completely on fire. Apparently, the chicken was made with ghost peppers, jalapenos, and a dozen other types of peppers. Frank seemed to love them, but he had warned them that it was extremely spicy.</p>
<p>Reyna, being a Roman first and Puerto Rican second, took the challenge as both one to her pride and heritage. Nothing was too spicy for her, other than this chicken. Reyna pushed the plate away and looked at Nico. Truthfully, they were both bored.</p>
<p>Nothing life-threatening had happened for like a week. It was getting kind of dull. Reyna didn't need the world to end, but a fight or two would be fun. Reyna glanced up at Nico. Of course, his week had been slightly more interesting than hers.</p>
<p>Nico and Will had participated and won two of their chariot races. The first race they had destroyed all of their competition. During the second race, their chariot had been destroyed, along with the chariots of everyone else. They had only won because Nico was holding onto a majority of the chariot when it was thrown across the finish line.</p>
<p>The two had been drafting up a new chariot, but it was quickly becoming boring. Reyna sighed and focused on the table in front of her. She slowly looked up and saw that Nico was staring at her right side. The smell of perfume slowly overtook Reyna's senses.</p>
<p>It took a moment for Reyna to turn her head and looked at the goddess on her right. Venus smiled brightly at her. Oh gods no. This couldn't be happening. Reyna was fine with being bored. She didn't need to do anything, especially for Venus.</p>
<p>"How are you enjoying the girlfriend?" Venus asked. Reyna forced herself not to glare, and she looked away. Was Venus threatening her now, or did she really care? Was Reyna just another one of her love experiments?</p>
<p>"Lady Venus, what can we do for you?" Reyna muttered. She stared at the table and slowly looked up. Venus was still watching her with that stupid smile on her face. Reyna closed her eyes. She hadn't even seen Arria, ever since she went on her mission. "Yes, I am enjoying my girlfriend."</p>
<p>"That's good," Venus commented. Reyna could hear the smile growing, and she was mere seconds from throttling the goddess of love. "I need a favor from the two of you. An unfortunate incident happened yesterday, and that incident involves my sword."</p>
<p>Reyna let out a deep breath and rested her head on her hand. She forced her hand to keep her mouth shut. Nico nodded slightly and had his lips twisted oddly, kind of like he was trying to keep from smiling at Venus' ridiculous claim.</p>
<p>"Sword?" Nico asked. Reyna took a deep breath. Sure, they had seen Venus use her sword against Bendis, but that was like the only time that would ever happen. Reyna was sure of it. "What happened to your, uh, sword?"</p>
<p>"It was stolen," Venus answered. Reyna looked up but kept her jaw shut with her hand. It was getting really hard to not laugh. Nico nodded and made an odd noise. Reyna took a deep breath and finally lowered her hand. She could already see where this was going. "I want you two to retrieve it."</p>
<p>"Why us?" Reyna questioned. She was expecting those words, but why did Venus want to use the two of them in particular? There were a lot more capable demigods that were not the two of them. Reyna really didn't mind being bored for another week. "One of your children could get it. Piper's not doing anything."</p>
<p>"Piper is staying at Camp Half-Blood," Venus said, but it was said very quickly and with urgency. Reyna glanced at Nico. It wasn't like Piper couldn't defend herself, so why didn't Venus want her to leave Camp Half-Blood? It didn't make sense. "She has her own problems to deal with."</p>
<p>Reyna noticed that Nico was watching her, and she nodded. After this, they would find out what Piper's problem was and help her with it. For now, they would have to help Venus find her sword. It probably just wanted to find an immortal that would use it more.</p>
<p>"Alright. What happened to your sword? Do you know where it is?" Reyna asked. It would be best to just get the job over with and move on with her life. Nico leaned forward and watched Venus intently.</p>
<p>"I thought Ares was going to surprise me with a date, as I had received a ticket to a mortal cafe not far from here," Venus said. Gods, she couldn't even be in her Roman form. Reyna sighed and focused back on Venus' words. "It was some kind of mortal poet night, with a special guest appearance. When I got there, all I saw was a bunch of minor gods and goddesses."</p>
<p>Reyna leaned back in her seat. Were the minor immortals sick and tired of how Venus treated them? It wasn't like Venus had say in their love life, did she? Reyna looked down at the table. Nico spoke, "So, they stole your sword?"</p>
<p>"No. They were just an audience," Venus said. She took a deep breath and fanned her face. "A masked man walked onto the stage and welcomed us all. He proceeded to read a poem that mocked me and all of the other Olympians. Of course, I only let him get a few lines in, and I stood to smite him. Your Thracian friend, Bendis, decided to attack me from behind. I guess revenge from when she blew up my van and lost the fight to me."</p>
<p>"Bendis stole your sword then?" Reyna questioned. She wasn't looking forward to hunting down Bendis. Reyna could probably take her in a fight, but Bendis was also an immortal. Any mistakes by Reyna or Nico would end in a lot of pain.</p>
<p>"She was a distraction. While I was fighting her, that poet grabbed my sword and disappeared. I received a poem on Olympus today. It mocked me more and told me to meet him at an art gallery that belonged to a man I have been courting," Venus explained. She looked to her right and nodded.</p>
<p>Reyna slowly looked to what Venus had her attention on. Of course, there was an art gallery down the street. A glance back at Venus showed that was where they needed to go. Reyna looked back at the chicken. This was all Frank's fault. If he hadn't suggested the restaurant, they wouldn't be stuck helping Venus.</p>
<p>"Be careful," Venus warned. She looked directly at the two of them. "I don't know who this poet is, but something tells me he is more than just an average mortal. I don't need my two favorite demigods to get hurt."</p>
<p>"Favorite," Nico repeated. He looked at Reyna, and she just sighed deeply. Why couldn't she just fly under the radar and not be noticed by Venus? The goddess suddenly grabbed Reyna's arm, and she stiffened. Reyna slowly looked at the goddess.</p>
<p>"Trust the wolf," Venus warned. Reyna opened her mouth in confusion. Venus stared intently into her eyes. What in Bellona's name was Venus talking about? What wolf? "The wolf is a friend, but the rest are not."</p>
<p>"What?" Reyna asked. She blinked, and Venus was gone. Reyna looked at Nico, but he looked just as confused as her. "I don't understand her. What is she talking about? I don't know what that means. Why does she have to be so weird and annoying?"</p>
<p>"I guess that we can trust any wolf that we run into," Nico said. Reyna shook her head and grabbed the basket of chicken. She stood and dumped it into the trash. Reyna dropped the tray off and followed Nico out of the restaurant.</p>
<p>"How badly is this going to suck?" Reyna asked. Nico shrugged. Reyna glanced at him and then looked at the watch on her wrist. She knew Arria was busy out doing something, but it would be nice to get some kind of message. Nico seemed to notice her look.</p>
<p>"She'll be back soon," Nico promised. Reyna glanced at him and received a smile. She forced herself to smile back. "You should enjoy your free time. When Arria gets back, she is going to be all over you."</p>
<p>"You're hilarious," Reyna said, but she could feel how red her face was. Nico laughed at her. Reyna shot him a death glare and stopped in front of the art museum. It seemed to be open, but no one was walking in and out. "Greeks first."</p>
<p>Nico glanced at her and opened the door. As they stepped into the art museum, Reyna was forced to take in the terrible decor. The first was all of the gods awful art that covered the main foyer. There was a painting hanging all over the walls that looked like they had been done by a child painting for the first time. Most of the paintings were just paint thrown on the canvas or actual stick figures by their stick homes.</p>
<p>A few vases were sitting on counters that all had some kind of dent or odd color on it. Reyna forced her attention away from the art and at the main counter. Someone was standing at the counter, with their back turned. A man was on his knees by the counter and had his arms tied in front of him. There was a gag in his mouth, and he looked terrified.</p>
<p>The doors behind them locked, and Reyna turned her head. There was no way they could reopen the doors without taking the time to undo the twenty locks and security system that guarded it, and there was no glass on the doors to break through. There were also no windows in the main foyer. Reyna looked back at the figure.</p>
<p>"Aphrodite, I'm so glad you could grace us with your disgusting presence," the figure said. Their voice sounded male and very powerful. He turned around. Reyna stared at the mask that the man wore. The mask looked to be made of marble and had a crying face on it. "Oh, you're just demigods. Did she only send two pathetic demigods to hunt me down?"</p>
<p>Reyna sighed and looked at Nico. She spoke, "I really just wanted to get the sword and get out of here, but now, we have to rescue this mortal."</p>
<p>"You could just run from your problems like you always do," the man said. Reyna's eyes shot up towards the man, and she glared<br/> at him. "Despite being brave in battle, you're a coward with everything else. Granted, your father would still be alive, if you have been a coward and ran from him."</p>
<p>Reyna stared at the man and found herself unable to breathe. How did he know about her father? Reyna looked down and found herself being brought back to that night. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.</p>
<p>"Leave her alone," Nico growled. Reyna heard the ground near them starting to split open. The man simply laughed. Reyna forced her eyes open and saw that the man was sitting on the counter. "Who are you?"</p>
<p>"I should be asking you that," the man said. Nico glared. "You have helped the demigods during both wars, and I dare say they couldn't have won the Battle of Manhattan without your plan for Percy Jackson. No one remembers you though, You're just destined to fade away in the background, unloved and forgotten. It will be like your sister. Who even remembers poor, little Bianca?"</p>
<p>"Be quiet!" Nico snapped. He stepped forward, but tears were forming in his eyes. Reyna took a deep breath and tried to focus. She grabbed Nico's shoulder, and he looked at her.</p>
<p>"He's making us mad. We have to stay focused," Reyna said. She heard a noise to her right and could have sworn that she heard whispering. It was like shadows were watching her. Reyna closed her eyes and took another deep breath. "Don't listen to him."</p>
<p>"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a Roman here than can actually think," the man said. He smiled. "But, does she think, or does she just follow orders? Son of Hades, I would be careful around that one. You never know when she will follow orders and stab you in the back. Just ask her former centurion."</p>
<p>"He was a traitor," Reyna snapped. She took a deep breath again and looked down. Reyna saw blood dripping from her hands, and she closed her eyes once again. The blood wasn't real. The man was just making her see things. Reyna tried to stay focused.</p>
<p>"I wish we had more of an audience," the man said. It sounded like he was grinning. "If we did, we could play a guessing game. I have a psychopath and a traitor standing in front of me, but who is who? Is Reyna, the girl who murdered her father, the traitor? Or, is it the boy who is nothing more than a disgrace to his sister's memory, Nico?"</p>
<p>Reyna wanted to speak, but her jaw was clenched to keep from crying. Something told her that the man was enjoying it all a little too much. The man continued, "Think about it. Nico's sister sacrificed herself to save a group of demigods. What has Nico done, in comparison? Nico did try to sacrifice the hero of Olympus to Hades, which would have meant the end of the world. He let Annabeth and Percy fall into Tartarus. Maybe, he's the psychopath. Does he regret any of it?"</p>
<p>"Querella," Reyna interrupted. She took another deep breath and looked up at the god in front of her. Querella laughed and stood. "Why did you steal Venus' sword?"</p>
<p>"The stories always said that I could not find fault in that little goddess of love. It took many years, but all you need to do is look at her children. You will find two traits in them. The first trait is that they are cowards, and if they are not cowards, they are a traitor. They are just like the goddess of love herself," Querella said.</p>
<p>Reyna nodded slightly and glanced around the room. Querella's words stung terribly, and it was bringing back horrible memories. Her eyes focused on looking around for Venus' sword, and she finally found it on Querella's back, of course.</p>
<p>"I had to find a reason to get Venus here. She's not a fighter, but she does love this stupid thing," Querella said. He grabbed the sword, and Reyna stared at how pink it was. It was an embarrassment to swords. "I will show the world that I can insult the goddess of love, but since she was too much of a coward to come her herself, I have no problem destroying the two of you first."</p>
<p>"I can't wait to shut his mouth," Nico muttered. Reyna glanced at him and nodded. She glanced at the watch that Arria had given her and slowly moved the dial to a javelin. Reyna pressed the button and watched the javelin appear in her hand.</p>
<p>"Got my back?" Reyna asked. Nico nodded. Reyna flipped the javelin in her hand and allowed all of the pain of remembrance and anger to focus her. She suddenly threw the javelin right at Querella. He dodged and appeared in front of Reyna. She barely blocked his sword. "Get the mortal out of here!"</p>
<p>Nico slipped around the two and ran towards the mortal. Reyna focused on dodging Querella's attacks. She wasn't going to bother trying to block them. The immortal would probably just use his strength to dislocate her shoulder.</p>
<p>Truthfully, Reyna didn't have a plan. She just knew they needed to get the mortal out of danger and get the sword. From there, they would have to make something up. Reyna dodged another sword attack. Querella wasn't that skilled, which was nice. He probably fought more with words than an actual weapon.</p>
<p>"Still running from our problems?" Querella asked. Reyna forced herself to stay focused on the fight. She couldn't afford to get angry. "Oh, you don't even want to defend yourself? You must know that you deserve it. How long will it be before the Greeks and Romans go to war? We both know they cannot coexist. When they go to war, how long will it be before you stab your best friend in the back?"</p>
<p>"That's enough," Reyna snapped. She hated to hear the words, and all it did was upset her even more. Reyna swung her sword and Querella caught it. Reyna didn't have time to regret her mistake, as Querella tore her arm out of socket and threw her across the room.</p>
<p>Reyna hit the ground hard and slid a few feet. A small groan escaped, and all Reyna could do was regret not wearing armor. Why did she let Nico convince her to do stupid things? Reyna focused back on Querella and slowly sat up.</p>
<p>It took Reyna a moment to see that Nico was back and fighting Querella. He had even actually managed to scratch the god. Reyna cursed and scooted back towards the wall. Her attention focused on her right arm. She was able to move her fingers and wrist, but there was no way for her to move her shoulder. It would take a lot more than just relocating her shoulder to repair the damage.</p>
<p>"Stupid immortals and their stupid strength," Reyna muttered. She slowly got to her knees and saw that Nico was flawlessly dodging everything Querella threw at him. Reyna was really impressed and a little proud. Now, she just needed to get the sword from Querella.</p>
<p>Reyna slowly started to get to her feet, and she heard Querella say something. Reyna couldn't make out the words, but she saw the hatred in Nico's face. He stabbed forward. Querella dodged and suddenly stabbed Nico in his side.</p>
<p>Truthfully, Reyna didn't remember what happened next. She just remembered seeing red and gripping a javelin. When she blinked next, she had Querella pinned to the ground and was pressing the javelin into his stomach.</p>
<p>"Don't you ever touch him again," Reyna hissed. Querella grinned at her, despite the ichor that was trickling out of his mouth. "It's not going to be so funny when I tear this javelin out of your stomach and drive it through your face!"</p>
<p>"My friend wouldn't allow that," Querella said. His eyes were looking past Reyna. Without thinking, Reyna turned. A fist slammed into her stomach. She collapsed to her knees and wheezed for breath. It felt like she was about to vomit.</p>
<p>A hand gripped Reyna's jaw and forced her to look up. She glared up at Bendis. Why was a Roman god working with a Thracian goddess? Reyna was pulled to her feet and hissed in pain. Bendis shoved her into the wall.</p>
<p>"Take your shot, Roman," Bendis taunted. Reyna glared and glanced at Nico. The pink sword was still buried in his side, but there was a scary amount of blood pooling from underneath him. If Reyna was going to take her shot, it had to be a good one.</p>
<p>Reyna took a deep breath and felt herself focus. Most of the pain in her shoulder dulled. Reyna pressed the button on her watch and saw everything moving in slow motion. She turned the dial on the watch, as the sword appeared in her hands. Reyna moved the sword to her right hand and went to stab Bendis.</p>
<p>Bendis dodged to the side and slammed her fist into Reyna's chest. Reyna ignored the explosion of pain and pressed the watch's button against her thigh. A dagger appeared in her hands, and she stabbed it into Bendis' lung. Reyna tore the dagger out and threw it right at Querella's throat.</p>
<p>Reyna slipped past the two and ran to Nico's side. She scooped him up without stopping and slammed into the nearest shadow. Her tattoo burned, and thankfully, Nico was conscious enough to use shadow travel. As soon as her feet hit solid ground, she collapsed to her knees and laid Nico down.</p>
<p>Reyna heard cries of surprise, but all she could do was focus on the pain that came rushing back. She placed both hands to her right side. It took everything in her power to keep from collapsing and crying in pain. It felt like her rib cage was shattered. Reyna closed her eyes and dug her hands into the ground.</p>
<p>"What happened?" someone demanded. They were standing right above Reyna, but all she could do was focus on the terrible pain in her side. A hand grabbed her shoulder. "Roman, stay with me."</p>
<p>Reyna blinked a few times and looked up at Clarisse. The hand didn't move from her shoulder, and it was probably the only thing keeping her from collapsing to the ground. Reyna took a pained breath and spoke, "Nico. Help. Please."</p>
<p>"He's being helped, Roman. You need to calm down," Clarisse said. She placed a hand to Reyna's side, and Reyna cursed in pain. Just the light touch that Clarisse was using felt like Reyna was being punched again. The praetor pressed her head against her fists. "Someone did a number on you two. What happened?"</p>
<p>"Venus' sword," Reyna wheezed. She felt Clarisse gently<br/> grab her jaw and pour nectar into her mouth. It didn't much to help the pain, but it did give her a single second of relief. "It was taken by Querella."</p>
<p>"Wait, isn't that Momus?" Annabeth asked. Reyna slowly looked up at the daughter of Athena. Great. She would get lectured again about getting injured. Reyna managed half of a shrug. Who cared what his Greek name was? "What was he doing with Aphrodite's sword?"</p>
<p>"Lure her out," Reyna answered. It was hard to form full sentences. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and pass out. "Bendis was there. No clue why."</p>
<p>"I've run into her before," Clarisse muttered. She helped Reyna to her feet. Reyna wheezed and almost collapsed to her knees again. Clarisse picked her up with ease and carried her to the infirmary. Out of the corner of Reyna's eye, she saw demigods swarming around Nico. Her attention moved back to the daughter of Ares that was carrying her.</p>
<p>Ever since Clarisse and Reyna had talked about Clarisse's deceased friend, they had formed a closer bond. Reyna didn't know if it was out of respect or appreciation for listening, but she didn't mind it. Reyna heard a door opened, and as she was laid down in a bed, a groan escaped.</p>
<p>Clarisse lifted Reyna's shirt and whistled loudly. She used her dagger to allow Reyna to see the reflection of her completely bruised side. Clarisse spoke, "That might be some internal bleeding right there."</p>
<p>"Yeah," Reyna muttered. Her eyes stared at the ceiling. She let out a pained breath and placed a hand to her face. Her only thoughts were about Nico. Would he be okay, or would he die by a pink sword? Reyna would make fun of him after she spent a decade or two getting over his death.</p>
<p>Reyna forced those thoughts away and looked at Clarisse. She suddenly grabbed Clarisse's arm tightly and spoke, "Don't lie to me. Is Nico going to be okay?"</p>
<p>Clarisse studied her for a moment. She finally nodded and spoke, "I think so. The wound is pretty bad, but he's got healers surrounding him. If it was thirty seconds later, I don't think he would have made it."</p>
<p>Reyna nodded and let go of Clarisse's arm. She kept her eyes on the ceiling. The searing pain in her ribs wasn't getting any better, and her shoulder was starting to hurt as well. Reyna's mind was racing though. It was no coincidence that Bendis and Querella had been at the art museum together. It seemed to be a trap for Venus, and the goddess of love had used Reyna and Nico to spring it. She had to have known what was going to happen.</p>
<p>Reyna clenched her fist and felt both of Clarisse's hands touch her side. She let out another pained breath and tried to focus her pain into anger and direct it towards Venus. It would be like the goddess to allow demigods to spring the trap and take the punishment. It wasn't like Venus hadn't already ruined her life enough.</p>
<p>After staring at the ceiling for a few more moments, Reyna let out a pained breath and tried to allow her anger to dissipate. She heard a door open and slowly turned her head. Someone gently grabbed her face a moment later.</p>
<p>"I left you alone for two minutes," Arria whispered. Reyna stared up at her girlfriend and was kissed gently. She was too shocked to return the kiss, but the shock turned to confusion. Why was Arria at Camp Half-Blood?</p>
<p>"It was more like a few weeks," Reyna whispered. Arria gave her a small smirk and sat by her. Reyna turned her head and stared at Arria. "Why are you here? It's kind of the last place I expected you to be."</p>
<p>"I was about to head back to Camp Jupiter, but there was a situation here in New York. There's some kind of monster here that doesn't appear often. It attacked a few members of the Inquisition, including their leader," Arria said. Reyna nodded. It was kind of hard to feel sorry for the leader of the Inquisition, considering they had threatened Reyna. "I was hoping Chiron or his contacts would know something about the attacker."</p>
<p>"What kind of monster?" Clarisse asked. Arria shrugged and gently grabbed Reyna's hand. Reyna smiled slightly and kept her eyes on her girlfriend. The pain was a lot more manageable now. "Who are you anyway?"</p>
<p>"Just an agent of Bellona," Arria replied. She glanced down at Reyna. "I'll check on Nico for you and let you know how he is. When I get back, you can tell me what happened."</p>
<p>Reyna nodded and rested her head against the pillows. Half of her thoughts were on her girlfriend. Arria's mission had gone well, but she was already involved in another problem. It almost sounded like something Reyna would do. The other half of Reyna's attention was on her best friend. The sword wound had looked pretty bad, and Reyna really hoped that Nico would be okay. If not, Querella and Bendis would pay.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Banshee Part One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Nico opened his eyes, he was surprised that he wasn't dead. The last thing he remembered was being stabbed in the side. He was pretty sure a pink sword had been involved, but everything was kind of fuzzy. Nico blinked a few times and slowly looked around the room.</p>
<p>He was laying in the infirmary, and there were two other people in the room with him. Reyna was in a bed next to him and seemed to be asleep. There were a few notebooks in her hands, but they were starting to fall to the ground. Arria picked up the notebooks and stuffed them into a backpack.</p>
<p>Arria sat back in the chair next to Reyna and stared at the notebook in her lap. Why was Arria there? Nico tried to move, and a groan escaped. Arria glanced at him and smirked. She spoke, "Good morning, son of Pluto. How are you feeling?"</p>
<p>"Did I get stabbed by a pink sword?" Nico asked. Arria nodded and moved her eyes to the corner of the room. Nico followed her gaze and saw the pink sword laying on the nearby table. It still had some of Nico's blood on it. "Oh. That's great. Is Reyna okay?"</p>
<p>"She'll heal," Arria answered. She closed the notebook and sighed tiredly. "She's been worried about you, even after they brought you here. The sword injury will keep you out of commission for a few days, and it sounds like you won't be able to participate in the last chariot race."</p>
<p>"Our chariot wouldn't be built in time anyway," Nico said. He sighed and was glad that he wasn't feeling any pain in his stomach. "Everyone else has all of these cool gadgets. We just had a simple chariot. I just wish Will still had a chance to win."</p>
<p>"You don't have any siblings that could fill in?" Arria asked. Nico glanced at her and looked away. He tried to answer, but then, he remembered the words of Querella: Nico had caused Bianca's death, and it was only a matter of time until he caused Reyna's. Nico looked down at the ground. "I see. My apologies."</p>
<p>"It's okay," Nico said. He looked at Arria. His eyes studied the demigod across from him. Even though Arria was dating his best friend and had been for a few weeks now, he knew nothing about her. Would it be awkward to just ask Arria about herself? "So, what are all of those notebooks?"</p>
<p>"It is all of my research on monsters. A few members of the Inquisition were attacked. They were scouting near a river and looking for a monster. They all remember screams, but after that, their memory is blank. One was found drowning in the river. Another had deep scratches all over their back like claws tore through their armor. The third's throat was torn open, and they barely survived. No one remembers anything," Arria explained.</p>
<p>Nico nodded slightly. He wondered if Bellona had ordered Arria to help or if the Inquisition had requested the help. Nico frowned. The description of what happened didn't make any monster stand out, and there were a lot of creatures that could cause that kind of damage.</p>
<p>"Do they know who was screaming?" Nico asked. The scream might have belonged to another victim of the monster or even the monster itself. He glanced at the door. Annabeth was probably less than a hundred feet away, and she could probably help them figure out what the monster was.</p>
<p>"No," Arria answered. Her eyes focused on the wall in front of her. Then, her eyes moved towards Nico. "The leader of the Inquisition was part of those that were attacked. It makes me think that it was planned. Someone gave them the location of this clearing and then set a monster after them. Even if I'm right, it doesn't narrow it down anymore. Their enemies are abundant."</p>
<p>"Is it because they threaten so many people?" Nico asked. It was meant to be a mix between a joke and a serious question, but the look that Arria gave Nico made him wish that he had kept his big mouth shut. "You heard about what the said to Reyna, right? I didn't realize you were a member."</p>
<p>"I'm not a member of the Inquisition. Well, I'm not a true one. It takes many years to become one, and I don't think Bellona would spare me for that long. I'm a Fidicia. It's an honorary title that was bestowed upon me by the lead Inquisitor," Arria explained. Nico nodded and debated whether to voice his next question or not. Would Arria be upset about him prying?</p>
<p>"How did you earn the title?" Nico asked. Arria didn't answer. Instead, she leaned back and studied Nico. It took Nico a moment to realize that Arria was debating whether to trust him or not. He had seen that look in Reyna's eyes before, but the difference now was that he didn't know how to get Arria's trust.</p>
<p>Nico knew he needed to change the subject. He cleared his throat and spoke, "Annabeth might be able to help you with finding out what monster it was. She's kind of a genius but don't tell her I said that. I might be able to help too, but I'm rusty with my knowledge of stuff like that."</p>
<p>"Thank you for the help, son of Pluto," Arria said. The smirk came back to her face, and she slowly stood. Nico smiled slightly. They both heard the door open, and Nico turned his head. He stared at Piper and Annabeth. They had Drew between them and were practically dragging her into the infirmary.</p>
<p>Arria held the door open for them and watched them carry Drew in. The two demigods laid Drew on a bed. Drew seemed to be unconscious and was muttering in her sleep. The language she was speaking was not English and not Ancient Greek.</p>
<p>"What happened?" Nico asked. He tried to sit up, and Annabeth gave him a look. Nico held up his hands and settled back in the bed. Piper slowly sat down by Drew and took deep breaths. Her face was extremely pale, and she looked terrified.</p>
<p>"Drew just passed out," Piper answered. She looked down. "Drew's been acting weird. It started whenever Clarisse punched her in the face. I don't know how to describe it, but she hasn't been herself."</p>
<p>"I'll get Will. You need to stay here with Drew and relax," Annabeth ordered. She grabbed Piper's arm and pulled her towards an unoccupied bed. Piper slowly nodded and looked around the room. Her gaze focused on Arria for a long moment. Annabeth left.</p>
<p>"She's speaking Scottish Gaelic," Arria noted. She walked towards Drew and placed a hand on her forehead. "And, she's burning up. Has she gone anywhere recently or been in contact with anything strange?"</p>
<p>Piper didn't answer. She buried her face in her hands. Arria studied Piper before looking back at Drew. Piper finally spoke, "I think she spoke of having stranger dreams and hearing this screaming."</p>
<p>Arria's eyes flickered up. She walked towards Reyna's side and gently shook her shoulder. Reyna's eyes snapped open, and she slowly looked around in confusion. Arria moved closer to her and whispered in her ear.</p>
<p>Nico watched the two of them and frowned. He was pretty much still trapped in the bed, so all he could do was stare at the two of them. The look of confusion in Reyna's eyes was turning to concern. She slowly sat up and placed a hand on her ribs.</p>
<p>"What are you two doing?" Nico asked. He slowly tried to sit up again, and all he felt was terrible pain from his stab wound. Reyna slowly scooted towards the edge of the bed and slowly got to her feet. Her teeth gritted, and it looked like she was ready to curse in pain. Arria helped her stay on her feet.</p>
<p>Arria walked towards Drew and then glanced at Reyna. After a moment, Reyna nodded and was handed a dagger. Arria grabbed Drew's arms and pinned her to the bed. Reyna slowly cut into Drew's arm.</p>
<p>As blood trickled out of Drew's arm, Nico stared. What were they doing? Nico tried to stand, but the pain forced him to groan and collapse back onto the bed. Reyna stepped away from Drew and spoke, "Nico, don't move. Trust me."</p>
<p>"I do trust you," Nico said. He allowed himself to relax and slowly looked to his side. Piper had her head in her hands and didn't seem to notice what was going on. Arria watched some of the blood trickle onto the dagger, and she lifted it towards the light.</p>
<p>Reyna cursed softly and slowly sat back on the bed. She placed her hand to her side and cursed again. Arria lowered the dagger and spoke, "It's not her. That can't be possible. How is she speaking the language? This doesn't make sense."</p>
<p>"I don't know," Reyna whispered. She shook her head and laid back on the bed. A groan of pain escaped her. Nico looked at Reyna in concern. He didn't know what had happened to her, but he was concerned. "How do you feel, Nico?"</p>
<p>"I'm okay. What about you?" Nico asked. Reyna gave him a small thumbs up. Nico smiled. He knew Reyna would never admit how she felt. "So, why are you two cutting into Drew?"</p>
<p>"Her blood would be tinted green, but she spoke in the language," Arria muttered. Nico slowly looked back at Arria. Was this connected to the monster that had attacked the Inquisition? Did it have to do anything to do with what Aphrodite had told them? "Praetor, would a touch do it?"</p>
<p>Reyna's eyes were closed, and it almost looked like she was on the verge of falling asleep. As soon as Arria said the words, Reyna's eyes snapped open. She looked at Arria and nodded. Arria ran out of the room.</p>
<p>"What is going on?" Nico asked. He stared at the door and then slowly looked at Reyna. His best friend was slowly getting out of bed again, and the look of pain was still on her face. Despite the pain that it caused Nico, he slowly moved towards the edge of the bed and got into half of a sitting position. Part of him was also off of the bed, but it was progress towards making it to his feet.</p>
<p>"Have you ever heard of a Banshee?" Reyna asked. She sighed painfully and made her way towards Nico. Together, they were able to help Nico to his feet. Nico bit back a cry of pain and was sat down properly on the bed.</p>
<p>Nico tried to ignore the pain and focus on the question. Banshees were a monster, but he was pretty sure it was a creature that symbolized mourning. Was it really a monster then? Nico spoke, "I know a little. Did it attack the Inquisition?"</p>
<p>"I don't know," Reyna answered. She slowly made her way towards the nearest wall and leaned against it. Her eyes closed. "Banshees are mostly a creature that will haunt a person's dreams and scream to warn of impending doom. Like all monsters, they've been twisted and made into something worse. They mark a victim and drive them to the brink of insanity, and if their target doesn't end the misery themselves, the Banshee will do it."</p>
<p>"So, the Banshee is trying to drive Drew insane?" Nico asked. He glanced at Drew, who was sweating profusely. Reyna shrugged and still looked confused. "Why would Piper be having the dreams though? Why is she hearing the screaming?"</p>
<p>Reyna shook her head and closed her eyes. She took a pained breath and placed a hand to her face. After another pained breath, Reyna spoke, "If someone is speaking Scottish Gaelic, it's a pretty sure sign that a Banshee has marked or even possessed them, but if Drew was possessed, her blood would be tinted green. We think it may have jumped to Annabeth or other siblings that were nearby."</p>
<p>"So, someone else could be the target and not Drew?" Nico asked. Reyna nodded. Nico moved slightly and groaned at the pain that shot through him. Piper still had her head in her hands, and it was like she wasn't even hearing a word they were saying. "Could it be Piper? That might be why Aphrodite said that Piper wasn't leaving the camp."</p>
<p>"Piper, why didn't you tell anyone?" Reyna asked. She slowly pushed herself off of the wall and walked towards Piper. "We're your friends, and we would help you, even if you didn't want it. What are you dreams about, Piper?"</p>
<p>Piper whispered something, but it was too quiet for Nico to understand. He did see how Reyna tensed, and her eyes moved towards the nearest weapon, which was the pink sword that was a few feet away. Reyna lunged for it, and Piper slammed Reyna into the wall.</p>
<p>Nico blinked and suddenly found himself pinned to the wall. He blinked a few times to process what was happening. Piper had moved faster than even a demigod could. Reyna had collapsed to the ground and was curled up in pain. Both hands were pressed to her side.</p>
<p>A forearm was pressed against Nico's throat, and he wasn't able to breathe. He felt like his wound had reopened. Piper glared at him with hateful eyes and used her forearm to lift Nico off of the ground. When had she become that strong?</p>
<p>"Piper, what are you doing?" Nico wheezed. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Reyna was using the bed to get to her knees. Piper followed his glance and smiled. She spoke in another language, maybe Latin. Nico stared at her. He didn't understand what Piper was saying, but it really couldn't be good.</p>
<p>Piper moved her forearm from Nico's neck, and he almost collapsed to her knees. Piper was kind enough to grab a hold of his shirt, and she threw him right into Reyna. Thankfully, Reyna took the brunt of the fall as the two of them slammed into the wall.</p>
<p>Nico groaned and slowly placed a hand to his side. His wound had been reopened. He placed both hands to his stomach and groan softly. A glance around showed that Piper was gone, and the door was wide open.</p>
<p>"Hey Reyna," Nico began. A small groan escaped from his best friend. It was followed by a noise that sounded like it was trying to be a word. "Did you know that we just got our butts kicked by a daughter of Aphrodite? I can't let you live this down."</p>
<p>"Shut up," Reyna muttered. She managed to untangle herself from Nico. Reyna struggled to her knees and leaned against the bed. Her left hand moved to her right shoulder, and a small cursed escaped. "I hate children of Aphrodite. Did you see where she went?"</p>
<p>"No," Nico answered. Reyna nodded and laid her head back. The two of them stayed there in silence. It wasn't until they heard someone run in that they both looked up. Annabeth stared at them and looked exasperated. Nico waved slightly. He stared at the blood that covered his hands.</p>
<p>"What happened?" Annabeth asked. Nico blinked a few times and finally shrugged. Arria appeared at his side and placed a towel to his stomach. "Where did Piper go?"</p>
<p>"Banshee. Maybe," Reyna answered. Nico watched the way that Arria's eyes flickered up towards Reyna. Arria placed Nico's hands on the towel and slowly stood. She pulled Reyna to her feet and helped her sit down in a bed. "She just left."</p>
<p>"She attacked the two of you first," Arria muttered. She gently grabbed Reyna's face and spoke in Latin. Reyna nodded slightly, and Arria glanced at them. "We must find the daughter of Venus. She's a loose cannon. Has anyone in this camp been in contact with a Banshee or anything odd?"</p>
<p>"Hold up," Annabeth said. She raised a hand. "What are you talking about a Banshee? They aren't even monsters if they do exist. Something else has to be going on with Piper."</p>
<p>"Daughter of Minerva, you don't understand what is going on," Arria said. She looked at Reyna and spoke in Latin again. Annabeth's eyes narrowed into a glare, and she focused that glare on Arria's back. Reyna shook her head slightly and laid back in the bed. "It will be easiest to kill the daughter of Venus. A ceremonial dagger will be needed to cut out her heart."</p>
<p>"Cut out her heart?" Annabeth demanded. Nico looked down at his wound. Would the two demigods finish arguing before he bled out? Reyna wasn't in any shape to help him, and Annabeth seemed offended by Arria's words. Arria hadn't even looked back at Nico.</p>
<p>"Hey guys," Nico interrupted. Annabeth moved her glare to Nico, but she knelt by him and focused on his stomach. Arria knelt by them and held out bandages. "So, why do you want to cut Piper's heart out?"</p>
<p>"Banshees can use old magic to bring a dead heart back," Arria answered. Annabeth shot her another look. "It will be easiest to kill the daughter of Venus and end the threat quickly. Otherwise, the Banshee must be expelled from her mind, and that will take a lot of work. If the Banshee is in her mind. There is something wrong about this."</p>
<p>"We better get started with expelling the Banshee from Piper's mind then," Annabeth said. She stood and turned on Arria. It took a moment for Arria to stand and meet her gaze. "I remember what you did when I was possessed. I remember how close you were to killing me before Bellona's order stopped you. You are not going to lay a hand on Piper, understood? I don't care how they do it where you're from."</p>
<p>"Annabeth, this isn't helping," Reyna interrupted. Nico nodded his agreement. It didn't feel like he was bleeding anymore, but it felt like he had lost a lot of blood between being stabbed and having his wound reopened. The last thing he wanted to hear was an argument."You should get Will, and I'll get Chiron. We're going to need some help with this one, but we need to keep it quiet. Okay?"</p>
<p>"Yeah," Annabeth said. She handed some ambrosia to Nico and then made her way to the door. Arria looked at Nico and then left the room without another word. Reyna sighed and laid back on the bed again. "Reyna, why does she have those marks on her arm?"</p>
<p>"Annabeth, leave it," Reyna said. Nico looked up at them. Marks? The only thing he recalled on Arria's arm was a tattoo with a lot of designs on it. Was the mark hiding in the designs? "I don't know a lot about Arria's past, but I know enough to leave it be. Don't bring it up to her."</p>
<p>"I won't," Annabeth muttered. She crossed her arms. "Between the three of us though, I won't trust Arria to help us with Piper. A murderer like that can't walk free. If you're marked like that, it means you were found in a trial to be guilty, and it looked like that was a mark for killing a family member. Who could do that and even live with themselves?"</p>
<p>Nico didn't miss the way that Reyna tensed, and he knew that Annabeth didn't either. Nico spoke, "This is not going to help Piper, guys. Piper was moving faster than a normal demigod. We have to figure out how to stop this Banshee, and something tells me that Arria knows how to do it. You'll have to play nice, Annabeth."</p>
<p>"I'll get Arria and Chiron," Reyna muttered. She slowly stood from the bed, and Annabeth shot her a look. Reyna shot one back, placed a hand to her side, and slowly left the room. Nico was helped back onto the bed. He wasn't going to be much help in his current state.</p>
<p>"How did you recognize those marks?" Nico asked. There was no way that Annabeth knew how her words had upset Reyna, and he would keep his mouth quiet on that. It did seem like Arria was more than willing to get her hands dirty though. Was that why Bellona had her as an agent, and how dirty were Arria's hands?</p>
<p>Annabeth took a deep breath and looked at Nico. She spoke, "In Ancient Greece, most crimes resulted in either death, payment, or a type of exile for the defendant after they were found guilty. Something the history books won't tell you is that demigods were treated differently. Those that were found guilty of murder were only marked and exiled. If a worse punishment was given, the accusers feared the gods would strike them down. The mark on Arria's arm matches the exact mark of someone who murdered their family, and she has it hidden well."</p>
<p>Nico nodded slightly. He trusted Reyna with his life, and since she trusted Arria, he did as well. Arria was pretty mysterious, but she wouldn't try to kill any of his friends, right? Nico sighed and laid his head back. All he wanted to do was be better and help with the Banshee problem. Something told him that he was in for a very long day.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0038"><h2>38. Banshee Part Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As far as Nico knew, the plan was to get Chiron and a few close friends to help with the search for Piper. They wouldn't draw too much attention or create any panic. It took Leo about five minutes to open his big mouth and tell the entire camp. Chaos ensued, and somehow, Chiron managed to separate all of the demigods into search parties of five. They were all searching the forest for signs of Piper.</p>
<p>Nico, even though he was able to get some healing from Will and the other children of Apollo, wasn't allowed to participate in the search party. Instead, he was sitting at a table and waiting for some kind of news. Reyna was sitting on a table near him and speaking to some Roman through an Iris message. The entire conversation was in Latin, but he could tell they were talking about the Banshee.</p>
<p>Annabeth was standing in the middle of the room and looking down at a table. She was studying Arria's notebook and mixing something that smelled as foul as the water balloons that had been made for the last prank week. She also kept saying weird things like they needed to drink it.</p>
<p>"What does the notebook say about Banshees?" Nico asked. He felt completely useless. He wanted to get out there and help with the search party or do anything that didn't involve just sitting there. "Does it tell us how we can help Piper?"</p>
<p>"It says there are two ways to fight a Banshee. The first is to kill the person being possessed, rip their heart out, and offer it as a sacrifice to the gods. The second is to take the blood of the person being targeted and drink it in this concoction. So, it is Piper or Drew that is being targeted?" Annabeth questioned.</p>
<p>"Well, Drew was speaking in Gaelic, but Piper was the one who was possessed. That doesn't narrow down our choices though," Nico said. He glanced at Reyna, who was still deep in her conversation with her fellow Roman. "Piper was acting weird before she went crazy."</p>
<p>"Nico, I have a question," Annabeth whispered. Her voice was a lot quieter than before. Nico was forced to lean in, and when Annabeth motioned him to come closer, he almost rolled his eyes. Nico finally leaned in as much as he could. "I know that Reyna and Arria are dating, but can we trust Arria?"</p>
<p>"Are you really going to ask that with Reyna ten feet away?" Nico whispered back. Annabeth glanced up and then looked back at Nico. There was a sad look to her eyes, and he realized that Annabeth didn't want to ask the question. She had to think it was necessary though. </p>
<p>"I get a really bad feeling from her," Annabeth whispered. She pointed to the notebook and leaned in closer to Nico. "I tried to ignore it, but this chill runs down my spine whenever she is near. When I talked to Percy about it, he agreed. Jason did too."</p>
<p>"Annabeth, we really shouldn't discuss this right now," Nico whispered back. Annabeth nodded and looked down. "We'll talk about this later when we're alone. If Arria does anything to hurt Reyna, I will hurt her worse. You know that."</p>
<p>"You're a good friend to Reyna. She's lucky to have you," Annabeth said. Her eyes grew sad for a moment, and then, she forced a smile to her face. "I'm lucky to have you too. Now, I have another question. If you were Piper, where would you go to be alone?"</p>
<p>"The forest definitely, but I'm not sure what area," Nico answered. He heard the door open, and Arria walked into the room. She was holding a few vials in her hand, and she carefully placed them onto the table. There looked to be blood in the vials. "Do we want to know?"</p>
<p>"A child of Venus is being targeted, but we don't know who it is," Arria answered. She kept her eyes focused on the table and kept her arms behind her back. "The best thing we can do is make a vial with all of their blood and drink it. It will allow us to see the world as they do."</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked. Arria's lip twitched, and her gaze turned on Annabeth. "You seem to be an expert on Banshees. How did it get into the camp in the first place? The barrier should have kept it out."</p>
<p>"As far as I know, your barrier is to keep out monsters, yes?" Arria asked. Annabeth nodded. "The Banshee is not so much a monster as she is a spirit. It is one that we cannot see, without being affected. You could hear the Banshee mourn, but this is not a time of mourning. It is attacking people. None of this makes sense."</p>
<p>"Arria, you said that four members of the Inquisition were attacked," Reyna interrupted. She looked back at them. "Who are they children of? Itlina here says that it isn't a coincidence that the Banshee went from the Inquisition to this camp. There has to be a connection."</p>
<p>"Other than their leader, I don't know," Arria answered. She sighed and looked back at the table. "The only connection would be parentage, but as far as I know, there are no children of Venus in the Inquisition."</p>
<p>"Praetor, would it be possible to get blood from one of the attacked members?" Itlina asked. Nico glanced at the man in the Iris message. He was in a rocking chair and didn't seem like he would be getting up anytime soon. Nico had that in common with him.</p>
<p>"It would take more time than we have," Reyna said. She crossed her arms and winced in pain. "There has to be some kind of connection we are missing. Four members of the Inquisition were attacked, and Arria thinks it was a trap. That person is also sending the Banshee after Piper and Drew. What's the missing piece?"</p>
<p>Nico sighed and leaned against the wall. He didn't like puzzles, especially when they didn't have all of the pieces. Nico stared ahead. How did the Banshee even manage to get into the camp? Why would it target two completely separate groups?</p>
<p>"You said that this didn't make sense. What do you mean?" Annabeth questioned. Arria shook her head and didn't answer. It seemed like she was lost in thought. "How would you be able to control a Banshee? If we can figure that out, we can find out how to locate the person. Could an immortal control it?"</p>
<p>"Immortals would stay Greek or Roman with their creatures," Itlina interrupted. Nico glanced back at the Iris message. "This sounds very personal. Have the children of Venus angered anyone lately?"</p>
<p>"There was Drew's fight with Clarisse, but Clarisse wouldn't go this far," Annabeth answered. "Why don't we just add a little of all of the blood to each vial and drink it? We don't have to worry about narrowing it down."</p>
<p>"It won't work. It has to be only one type of blood per drink, and well, we will fall unconscious after drinking it. You will be able to see that person's perspective, for only a few minutes. It is a heavily guarded secret. Some call it a spy trick," Arria explained.</p>
<p>"A spy trick?" Annabeth questioned. She nodded, but Nico could see the look in her eyes. Annabeth nodded again. "That doesn't help us any then. Should we all just drink a vial and hope for the best?"</p>
<p>"That's the only thing we can do, without knowing more. We will all be unconscious for a few minutes. If the Banshee is targeting someone, they will be following right behind them. You can't see them normally, only the victim can," Arria said. She looked like she was lost in thought.</p>
<p>"Sounds like we'll be exposed," Annabeth said. She opened one of the vials and poured it into the glass. Annabeth handed the cup to Arria. "You go first since you obviously know what you're doing."</p>
<p>"Which is why I should go last," Arria said. She glanced at the cup. "There can be side effects, but I know how to handle them. I will drink my glass after all of you do. If none of us see the Banshee, we know Piper is the target."</p>
<p>"Maybe, we shouldn't all drink," Reyna commented. She glanced at the Iris message and spoke in Latin. Itlina nodded and ran a hand through the message. Reyna slowly stood. "Someone should stay awake. I volunteer myself. Itlina told me this can be very draining, and I'm nowhere near one hundred percent."</p>
<p>Nico glanced at his best friend. They met eyes, and he glanced down at Reyna's tattoo. She gave him a small nod, and Nico nodded to show that he understood. Reyna would share her strength with them and keep an eye out.</p>
<p>Annabeth nodded slightly and grabbed one of the vials. Nico watched Arria pour blood into another one, and she held it out towards him. Nico took a deep breath and grabbed the vial. He closed his eyes and downed the entire thing in one gulp.</p>
<p>Instead of tasting like death, it tasted really sweet and a little bitter, like chocolate. If Nico didn't know the ingredients, he would have asked for seconds. Nico shivered and felt his eyes starting to get heavy. He laid his head back and blinked. When Nico reopened his eyes, he was laying in the infirmary.</p>
<p>Nico tried to sit up, but it felt like his body refused to move. He tried to move his eyes, but nothing happened. Nico couldn't even blink. Part of him started to panic, but then, he realized he was literally seeing things through the eyes of a child of Aphrodite. A face appeared over his.</p>
<p>"Your eyes are tinted a weird color," Clarisse said. She sneered down and then glanced at her side. "Chiron, is that part of the ritual that you were talking about, or is it the Banshee taking hold? I can put Drew out of her misery."</p>
<p>"It's the ritual," Chiron answered. He sighed deeply and appeared over Drew's face. "Whenever one of you finds something out, one of you must report to me. We haven't been able to find Piper yet."</p>
<p>Nico wanted to speak, but he couldn't Instead, his view changed as Drew sat up. Her head turned to the side, and Nico stared at the person in the corner of the room. The old lady was sitting against the wall and staring at him.</p>
<p>The old lady had a green cloak wrapped around herself that was covering a bloody and white dress. Hair covered her face, but Nico could see how red her eyes were from crying. Tears freely flowed down her face. That had to mean Drew was the target, but why target Drew? Who would do that?</p>
<p>"Where is she?" Drew demanded. The Banshee shook her head and only started to cry more. Then, she let out a loud wail. Nico wanted to cover his ears, and thankfully, Drew covered hers. It didn't do much to block out the noise. "You have to tell me. Where is she?"</p>
<p>"What is she even saying?" Clarisse demanded. She appeared in Nico's vision and glared. "This is just a waste of time. We could be doing anything else right now. Instead, we're distracted by Drew speaking a weird language."</p>
<p>"Where is Piper at?" Drew demanded. The Banshee's wail stopped, and her eyes focused on Drew. The Banshee shook her head and looked to her right. Nico frowned. If the Banshee was referring to the entire camp, that direction was towards the forest and a cave or two. "I have to save her."</p>
<p>Was this how the Banshee was going to drive Drew insane, by not letting her save Piper? Was it going to attack her as it did to the others? Drew spoke, "You know where Piper is. She's been missing since last night! Where is she?"</p>
<p>Why did Drew say that Piper had been missing? Piper had helped carry Drew in before she attacked Nico and Reyna. Nico felt like he was missing a big piece of the puzzle. He knew that Banshees warned of death, but according to Arria, they sometimes were twisted around and tried to kill people. What if this Banshee was trying to warn them though?</p>
<p>Nico thought back to the injuries that the members of the Inquisition had. One had deep claw marks on their back, but the Banshee didn't have any nails. She could have tried to drown the other member, but it didn't explain how another had their throat torn open. It didn't seem like something that the Banshee would have done.</p>
<p>"You have to talk to me. You can't keep mourning," Drew snapped. The Banshee only shook her head. It didn't seem like the Banshee was a monster that wanted to kill people. Nico frowned. He just needed that last missing piece to the puzzle. If he could figure out why Piper was acting weird, he could solve the puzzle.</p>
<p>Nico felt the world around him starting to slip away. He tried to close his eyes tightly and was grateful that they did. Nico opened his eyes and stared down at the table. It seemed like he had fallen face-first into the table when he fell unconscious.</p>
<p>Nico heard a choking noise, but he didn't have the strength to completely lift his head from the table. He turned his head slightly and looked around the room. Annabeth was laying on the couch with the vial resting on her fingertips. Arria was sitting in a chair near Nico and still seemed to be unconscious as well. Her head was resting on her hand, so someone must have been nice enough to not let her slam face-first into the table.</p>
<p>A glance up showed that a cloaked figure had Reyna pinned to the ground. It looked like they were digging a forearm into Reyna's throat. Reyna tried reaching for her sword, which was only a few inches away. The cloaked figure placed a hand over her mouth and dug a knee into her side. The sound of Reyna's cry was muffled by the hand.</p>
<p>Nico wanted to jump to his feet, but he didn't have the strength. All he could do was stare. Another cry of pain was muffled by the hand. It seemed to be futile, and Nico tried to yell for them to leave her alone. His voice wouldn't work.</p>
<p>"Dear little Roman, you need to go to sleep," the cloaked figure whispered. It sounded like a male's voice. Reyna reached out for her sword again, but her fingertips were barely moving. Her other hand was pinned underneath the man's leg. "Go to sleep, little Roman. You won't be harmed tonight."</p>
<p>Nico watched helplessly as Reyna's hand stopped reaching for the sword. Her head lolled to the side, and her eye closed. The man hummed to himself for a few more seconds and then lifted his forearm. He slowly stood.</p>
<p>The man was about twice the size of Nico, and he was built like a Greek statue. The man lowered the hood of his cloak, and Nico stared at the burns on the right side of his face. The man looked around the room, and Nico forced his eyes shut. He heard footsteps move towards him, and it took all of his willpower to not tense.</p>
<p>The footsteps moved away, and Nico opened his eyes slightly. The man stopped by Arria and hummed to himself. He grabbed her right arm and seemed to study her tattoo. Arria groaned and started to open her eyes. The man placed a knife to her throat.</p>
<p>"If you say a word, I will kill everyone in this room," the man whispered. He moved the knife, and Arria nodded slightly. She slowly leaned back in her chair and looked at the man. "I know you remember me, but do you remember what you did that night? To my family?"</p>
<p>"I remember you screaming," Arria said softly. She glared up at the man. "I remember your wife and child begging for mercy. I remember the flames licking their skins, as they begged the immortals for mercy. You should have died from your wounds. It would have been justice for what you have done."</p>
<p>"But, I didn't," the man snapped. Nico glanced around the room again. He met Annabeth's eyes and realized that she was conscious as well but pretending not to be. It didn't seem to matter though. The man and Arria were solely focused on each other. "Bellona is not here to protect you, nor is your little Inquisition. You're coming back."</p>
<p>"You used the Banshee to attack them, to draw me out," Arria whispered.  The man nodded and smiled. Arria glared hatefully. "That was you as Piper the, wasn't it? You used Felika's magic to appear as her and convince us it was a Banshee."</p>
<p>"You're half right," the man whispered. "I did use those lessons that Felika gave me to appear as the demigod. The Banshee is here though, to warn of the death of the child of Aphrodite. Unlike you, I am merciful. I will leave the location where she is for your friends if you agree to come with me."</p>
<p>"Never," Arria said. The man glared and suddenly punched Arria in the face. He slammed her face into the table and then slammed her into the ground. The man pinned Arria and raised his fist. Nico looked away. He could see Annabeth was watching. She was the closest to the two of them, but she wasn't moving an inch.</p>
<p>Annabeth seemed to be debating with herself. It was enough time for the man to land three solid punches to Arria's face. Annabeth finally rolled off of the couch and made it to her feet in one swift movement. The man looked at her and reached for his fallen dagger. Nico used the table to help him stand, and he kicked the weapon away. The man slowly looked in between them.</p>
<p>"Where is Piper?" Annabeth demanded. The man shook his head and didn't say a word. "You are going to tell me where Piper is, and then, you're going to tell me what Arria did to you."</p>
<p>"She murdered my family," the man snapped. He slowly stood and backed away from Arria. Nico looked down. Arria was blinking rapidly and had turned on her side. The back of her head was bleeding, probably from the chair busting it open. Blood poured from her nose and mouth. The man suddenly kicked Arria in the temple, and she collapsed to the ground.</p>
<p>Annabeth grabbed the man and slammed him into the wall. She placed her sword to his neck. The man took a shaky breath. There were tears in his eyes. Nico stared at the scene in front of him and backed away. Annabeth spoke, "How?"</p>
<p>"She broke into my house late at night," the man whispered. He closed his eyes. "My wife heard our daughter crying and went to check on her. It wasn't until my daughter screamed in terror that I rushed upstairs. They were tied to my daughter's bed and had gasoline poured over them."</p>
<p>The man stopped talking, and more tears streamed down his face. He took a few deep breaths and continued, "I tried to rush to their side, but something slammed into the back of my head. I fell into unconsciousness, and when I woke, she lit the match. I was forced to watch as my child and wife were burned alive. Then, she stuck my face in the smoldering ashes of my family. I was left for dead in the fire."</p>
<p>Nico stared at the man in front of him. He slowly looked down at Arria. There had to be a reason that Arria had done that, right? Annabeth spoke, "You hurt my friend, so I will offer you a deal. If you tell me where Piper is, you can leave this camp unharmed. Do not ever enter this camp or attack my friends again. Understood?"</p>
<p>"She must pay," the man began. Annabeth lowered the sword and stepped away. She blocked the path to Arria. After a moment, the man bowed his head. "Your friend is at a cave in the forest. I marked it with a white cross. She is mostly unharmed. Please, do not let that murderer go free."</p>
<p>"We'll handle her. Go," Annabeth ordered. The man nodded once and left the room. Annabeth took a deep breath and slowly looked at Nico. He could only stare back at her. Why had they just let the man go? Annabeth stepped over Arria and moved to Reyna's side. After a moment, Nico joined her.</p>
<p>Annabeth gently grabbed Reyna's shoulder, and Reyna groaned. She seemed to stir, and after a few moments, her eyes opened. She stared at them and tried to sit up. Reyna cursed and rested her head back against the ground. A few coughs escaped, and her eyes slowly focused on them.</p>
<p>"How are you feeling?" Nico asked. He glanced back at the door. Reyna groaned in response and slowly sat up with their help. She coughed again and rubbed her throat. "What happened to you?"</p>
<p>"Someone cloaked attacked me," Reyna wheezed. She rested her head in her hands and groaned once again. "I heard the door open and turned. The only thing I remember after that is being choked into unconsciousness. I hate people today."</p>
<p>"Isn't that every day?" Annabeth teased. Reyna rolled her eyes and looked around the room. Her eyes focused on Arria. Reyna tried to get to her feet, but Annabeth stopped her. "We'll take care of Arria. We just wanted to make sure you were still breathing."</p>
<p>"It's going to take more than that to kill me," Reyna said. She sat back against the wall. Annabeth nodded and moved towards Arria's side. Nico slowly looked back at Reyna. "Do we know where Piper is?"</p>
<p>"Yes," Annabeth answered. She stared down at Arria and seemed to be thinking. "She's in a cave in the forest. The man marked it, so all we have to do is find the mark. He escaped before I could stop him."</p>
<p>"The man sent the Banshee after Piper then?" Reyna asked. She let out a deep sigh and tried to relax. Nico looked at her and then back at Annabeth. How were they going to tell Reyna about Arria? Could they?</p>
<p>"He sent the Banshee after Drew and tried to use the distraction of Piper disappearing to kill Drew," Nico lied. He looked down at the ground. "I think he just stepped into the wrong room, and you heard him."</p>
<p>"Bad luck on his part, right?" Reyna asked. It sounded like she was smiling. "How's Arria doing? The head wound looks pretty bad from here."</p>
<p>"She'll live," Annabeth responded. She slowly stood and took a deep breath. Nico looked up and focused on Reyna's face. Her attention was solely on Arria. "Nico, you should go get a child of Apollo. I'll get Chiron."</p>
<p>"We'll be right back," Nico promised. He looked at Reyna, and she gave him a thumbs up. Reyna slowly made her way to Arria's side. Nico couldn't force a smile on his face. He just walked out of the room, and Annabeth followed him. "We have to tell Reyna."</p>
<p>Annabeth motioned for Nico to follow. After a moment, the two of them walked further away. Annabeth spoke, "Do you want to be the one to tell Reyna that her girlfriend is a murderer? We don't have any proof, other than what the man said."</p>
<p>"Do you believe him?" Nico asked. Annabeth looked at him. Her eyes seemed to ask him the same question. Nico looked down at the ground. Truthfully, he did believe the man. That much emotion couldn't be faked. "What are we going to do?"</p>
<p>"We can't do anything, Nico. Arria has the protection of Bellona. We need solid proof, and then, we can go to Reyna about this. I know you agree with me since you lied to her," Annabeth said. Nico looked down and nodded slightly. "Let's focus on finding Piper first. Then, we'll worry about everything else."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0039"><h2>39. First Fight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I still can't believe that my mother ordered you to go on bed rest," Reyna said. She glanced to her side and continued her walk down the road. On her right, Arria walked next to her with a small smirk on her face. A backpack hung from one of her shoulders. As far as Reyna knew, the backpack held all of Arria's belongings. "That means you can't yell at me about bed rest."</p>
<p>"You're bound to get hurt again before me," Arria said. Reyna rolled her eyes and glanced at her girlfriend. They had just finished another meeting. The Senate had a million things on their agenda, and Jason added another thousand on there. Reyna was glad that Jason was taking his job as an ambassador seriously, but they really didn't need to participate in Camp Half-Blood's campfire songs.</p>
<p>"You're so funny," Reyna muttered. As they walked, she saw a few demigods glancing at them. Reyna heard plenty of rumors flying around the camp. A few people saw Arria kiss her, and the news only spread like wildfire. The rumors then followed "You can stay at my place. You don't have to stay with the other ambassadors."</p>
<p>Reyna felt Argentum rub against her leg, and she reached down to scratch his head. Arria glanced at the dogs and spoke, "I don't want to make the rumors any worse. Have you heard from Camp Half-Blood? How is Piper doing?"</p>
<p>"She was a little shaken up but otherwise fine. The only description she could give was some guy with a burn on the side of his face. No one has any clue who he is," Reyna said. Arria stopped walking and stared ahead. Reyna stopped walking and slowly looked at her. "What's wrong?"</p>
<p>"Burn?" Arria asked. Reyna nodded slightly. Arria looked away and seemed to be lost in thought. Reyna watched her girlfriend. "I just wish I remembered what happened. He attacked you, correct? What did he look like?"</p>
<p>"He was a little taller than you but built like a warrior. Half of his face was burned, but it looked to be a couple of years old," Reyna said. Her throat ached, and she remembered the forearm being pressed against her throat. "I just don't understand why or how one man broke into Camp Half-Blood and managed to get away."</p>
<p>"It doesn't add up," Arria muttered. She shook her head and started walking again. Reyna followed behind her. "Are Will and Nico still up for a double date tonight? I didn't see if they responded to the message or not."</p>
<p>"We're supposed to meet them at a restaurant in New Rome. I told them the meeting might run long, so they are touring the city first. We'll find them sooner or later," Reyna answered. She stopped in front of her door and looked at Arria. "Are you sure you don't want to stay tonight?"</p>
<p>"I guess it wouldn't harm anything," Arria said. Reyna smirked and kissed her girlfriend. She felt Arria gently pin her to the door and return the kiss. Reyna slowly reached behind her and opened the door. It was hard to kiss Arria and walk backward at the same time, but she managed until someone cleared their throat.</p>
<p>Reyna pulled away from Arria and turned her head. She felt her heart drop to her stomach and slowly met the eyes of her older sister. Hylla was lounging on the couch and had her arms crossed. Arria slowly pulled away and spoke, "Queen Hylla, it is a pleasure."</p>
<p>"Arria. It's usually a pleasure to see you," Hylla said. She raised an eyebrow. "Out of curiosity, why are your hands all over my little sister, and why were you kissing her?"</p>
<p>"You didn't tell her?" Arria asked. She turned her head and gave Reyna a look. Reyna looked away. She was going to tell her sister that she was dating Arria, eventually. It had just kind of gotten away from her. "I thought you were going to tell her."</p>
<p>"I was getting around to it," Reyna began. She looked at Hylla, who had pulled a knife out of thin air and was tapping it against her knee. There was a scary intensity to Hylla's eyes. "Arria and I are dating. We've been dating for over three weeks now."</p>
<p>"When exactly were you planning on telling me?" Hylla asked. She stood and made her way towards them. Reyna looked away from her sister's gaze. Hylla grabbed Arria and slammed her into the wall. "You do know what happens if you hurt my baby sister, right?"</p>
<p>"Hey, leave her alone," Reyna said. She grabbed her sister and pulled her backward. Arria cursed softly and placed a hand to the back of her head. Hylla looked down at Reyna. "What are you doing here anyway?"</p>
<p>"You know what happens if you hurt my sister?" Hylla repeated. She stared a hole into Arria. It took a moment for Arria to nod. Hylla smirked and walked back towards the couch. She laid on it. "Back to business then. I heard a rumor that Felika was back in the United States."</p>
<p>"Felika? She hasn't been seen for years," Arria began. She glanced at Reyna. While Reyna didn't know a lot about Felika, the follower of Hecate had already tried to kill her two times. The first was by dropping a building on her, and the second was when Reyna had run into a possessed Arria. "Why is she back?"</p>
<p>"Rumors say you," Hylla said. She pointed at Arria. It took a moment for Reyna to look up at her girlfriend. Arria's eyes were wide, and it looked like she was having terrible flashbacks. "That's one of the reasons I'm here. I owe you for all of your work the past few weeks."</p>
<p>Reyna gave Arria a questioning look. Arria spoke, "I helped your sister with an attempted coup. But, Felika cannot think I am alive. She felt my pulse go out and left me for dead. That's what you told me, Hylla."</p>
<p>"She didn't know that you were alive until you pulled your little stunt," Hylla said. She tossed a newspaper towards them with surprising accuracy. Reyna caught it and read the headline. She frowned as her eyes focused on the words fire and murder. "What were you thinking, Arria? We gave you another chance, and you pull this?"</p>
<p>"What's going on?" Reyna asked. She scanned through the paper and was able to make out a story about a man's house being broken into. His wife and daughter had been burned alive, with him forced to watch. Reyna looked at the man's picture, and she instantly recognized him. "That's who attacked us at Camp Half-Blood."</p>
<p>Arria snapped a curse in Latin and slammed her fist into the nearest solid object. She cursed again and spoke, "I had to do it. He had to pay for what he did."</p>
<p>"You killed a child," Reyna whispered. Arria slowly looked at her and shook her head. Reyna took a step backward. Who in Bellona's name murdered a child? "Arria, what did you do?"</p>
<p>"Something idiotic," Hylla answered. She stood and walked towards their side. Arria shook her head and stared at the ground. Hylla grabbed Arria's jaw and forced her to look up. "We talked about this. You were supposed to disappear completely. No going back to your old life. No taking revenge. You were supposed to let it be!"</p>
<p>"I can't," Arria said. Her hands were shaking, and there was an angry look in her eyes. Reyna hadn't ever seen Arria upset, but it looked like she was on the verge of losing it. "You don't know what they did to me. You can't understand it."</p>
<p>"I understand that I risked my life to save your ass," Hylla snapped. Arria visibly flinched. "You only survived because of my mother, and this is how you repay her? She warned you not to go back. I warned you. Now, you put my little sister in danger."</p>
<p>"Hylla, I didn't," Arria whispered. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I didn't mean to put any of you in danger. Felika is my problem, and I will handle her. I will handle Ricardo too."</p>
<p>"No, you're too damn valuable to throw your life away like that," Hylla said. Arria shook her head. Reyna stepped in between the two and shot her sister a look. Hylla took a deep breath. "Look, my mother has sunk three years into you. She listened to you because she knows how skilled you are. We will handle Felika and Ricardo, but this goes no further. It's not going all the way to him."</p>
<p>"Him?" Reyna questioned, but no one elaborated.</p>
<p>"Felika will tear us apart," Arria whispered. She laid her head back and cursed softly. "Gods, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I did it months ago, only because I heard that he was back to his old ways. If I let that happen to another child, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."</p>
<p>"So, you killed an innocent child and woman instead," Reyna interrupted. Arria looked at her and then looked away. "I can get trying to kill the man, even in the way that you attempted it. But, you killed two people that didn't deserve it. Even in your black and white world, they didn't deserve it."</p>
<p>"I know!" Arria yelled suddenly. She slammed her fist into the wall. "I just wanted him to feel how I felt all those years. Do you understand how it is, Reyna? The abuse builds and builds and builds for years until it causes you to snap. I've held it in for fourteen years, and then, I lashed out. Do you know what it got me?"</p>
<p>"The mark of a murderer?" Reyna guessed. Arria nodded slightly, and she was too upset to speak. She was starting to shake, and her fists were clenched tightly. "Annabeth saw it. I told her to not pry, but that's part of the reason she doesn't trust you. She thinks you killed one of your family members."</p>
<p>Arria didn't answer, but her eyes flickered away. Hylla grabbed both of their shoulders and spoke, "You two need to calm down, right now. What Arria did is in the past. We have to deal with the consequences now. My mother already told me that Arria is grounded to Camp Jupiter, and I swear to the gods above that if you leave the camp, I will kick your ass myself."</p>
<p>"I won't," Arria muttered. She pulled away from Hylla and slowly sat against the wall. Arria rested her head on her knees. "I'm sorry."</p>
<p>"It's a little late for that," Hylla said. She looked at Reyna. "You're grounded to Camp Jupiter as well. No more weekly meetings with Nico. No more going to Camp Half-Blood for fun. Felika will learn about your relationship with Arria, and she will turn her attention to you."</p>
<p>Reyna narrowed her eyes. Hylla glared at her and crossed her arms. Reyna took a deep breath and spoke, "Listen, I know you're concerned about me, but I can handle myself."</p>
<p>"Can you?" Hylla demanded. She grabbed Reyna's injured shoulder, and a small hiss of pain escaped Reyna. There wasn't much she could do as her sister pinned her to the wall and pulled her shirt up enough to show off her bruised side. "If you could handle yourself, you wouldn't be injured all of the time. Ever since you started hanging out with Nico, you've been getting hurt more and more."</p>
<p>"Let go of me," Reyna hissed. She tried to struggle out of her sister's grasp but couldn't. Hylla's eyes were focused solely on her side. Reyna could see the reflection of her side from her sister's dagger. It still looked terrible. "Hylla, let go."</p>
<p>Hylla finally did. Reyna glared and placed a hand to her side. Her older sister shook her head and walked towards the door. She opened it and let out a deep breath. Reyna turned her head and saw that Nico and Will were at the door.</p>
<p>"Hylla, how are you doing?" Nico asked. He glanced around surprised. It took Reyna a moment to fix her shirt, and she looked at her older sister. Hylla took another deep breath and sighed. Nico glanced at Will. "I guess they told you that they're dating."</p>
<p>"Yeah," Hylla answered. Reyna slowly looked at her older sister. Hylla smiled at her and grabbed her injured shoulder tightly. Reyna refused to allow her sister to see how much it hurt, so she just gritted her teeth and stiffened. "Why don't you go show Will and Nico around? I have to talk to Arria alone."</p>
<p>"You can't kick me out of my own house," Reyna muttered, but Hylla was already leading her to the door. Hylla smiled at her and practically shoved her outside. Reyna tried to protest, but the door slammed shut in her face.</p>
<p>"Well, this is awkward," Will began. He looked in between Nico and Reyna. It took Reyna a moment to take a deep breath and focus her thoughts. She wasn't going to sit around if there was a threat on her head, but at the same time, she didn't know how to take Felika out. "What was all of that about?"</p>
<p>"The man who attacked us and broke into Camp Half-Blood," Reyna muttered. She looked at Nico, and her eyes narrowed. He had said the man broke into Camp Half-Blood to kill Drew. The man, Ricardo, had to be after Arria though. Did Nico not know, or did he lie to her?</p>
<p>Reyna frowned and looked down. Nico wouldn't lie to her. He couldn't. They shared everything. Ricardo must have lied about his intentions, or it was just the dots that Nico had drawn. A hand grabbed Reyna's shoulder, and she looked at Nico.</p>
<p>"You don't look so good," Nico began. He glanced at Will. "What's going on with Hylla? I don't think I've ever seen her this angry.  Is she mad that you were attacked by the man?"</p>
<p>"It's something like that," Reyna answered. She opened her mouth to explain, but she heard the door open and felt someone brush past her. She turned her head to see Arria already halfway down the street. Reyna glanced at Nico, and he gave her a reassuring nod. Reyna hurried towards her girlfriend and grabbed her arm. Arria turned and slammed Reyna into the nearest wall.</p>
<p>The pain hit Reyna's shoulder and then quickly shot down to her side. She gritted her teeth and stared at her girlfriend. Arria's hands were shaking, and there were tears in her eyes. Arria spoke, "Leave me alone, praetor. Just let me be."</p>
<p>"If you keep letting your emotions boil inside, it's going to destroy you. That's something you taught me, Arria. Why won't you talk to me?" Reyna asked. Arria let go of her and closed her eyes. "You helped me with my problems. Let me help you."</p>
<p>"I don't want or need to talk my problems out," Arria whispered. She had a tight grip on Reyna's shirt. Arria pressed her forehead against Reyna's, but it didn't feel like it was in an affectionate way. "I don't need you or Hylla to help me with my problems. You two have done enough for me. Ricardo and Felika are my problems; therefore, I will handle them."</p>
<p>"Not without your friends you aren't," Will interrupted. He appeared at their side and gave Reyna a knowing nod. It took a few deep breaths for Arria to step away, and she crossed her arms. "You don't know me, but you're dating my boyfriend's best friend. That clumps you into being our friend, even if you don't want to."</p>
<p>"If you're going to get into trouble, we are going to help," Nico added. He looked at them. "If this Ricardo guy is the same one that made his way into Camp Half-Blood, you can't take him on alone. Even if you are a hardcore Roman, you can't do it alone."</p>
<p>"I don't need help from anyone," Arria said quietly. She looked at Reyna and then Nico. "I don't need help from people who think they are my friend when they don't even know me. I don't need help from any Greeks, and right now, I want to be alone."</p>
<p>"Arria, let's just talk alone," Reyna began. Arria looked down at the ground and didn't say a word. Reyna stared at her girlfriend. Why couldn't they just talk? Why was it so hard for Arria to talk about her problems and her past? Reyna knew bits and pieces, so how bad could the full picture be?</p>
<p>"I would love to be alone," Arria snapped. Reyna looked down. She felt Nico nudge her, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the two of them walk away. Reyna looked back at her girlfriend. "Praetor, maybe all of this was a mistake. We can't work together in a relationship."</p>
<p>"So, you want to end it the first time we have a problem?" Reyna asked. Arria looked away. "I'm not great at this relationship thing, Arria. I'm not good with my feelings or emotions, but at the same time, I know that relationships are going to have these problems. We have to talk it out. I've done terrible things in my past too. You aren't the only one, and you don't have to be ashamed."</p>
<p>"You can be alone for tonight," Reyna continued. She stepped away and looked at Arria. Her girlfriend wasn't looking back at her and didn't have any emotion on her face. Reyna looked down. "I'll be with Nico. If you do think all of this was a mistake, you can find me and officially break up with me. If you want to have a relationship, you have to let me help you."</p>
<p>Reyna didn't wait for a response. She walked away and went towards where Nico had gone. They would probably ask her all kinds of questions about what had happened, but Reyna would ignore them. She just wanted to do anything and get her mind off of Arria. If she tried hard enough, maybe she could block out everything that had happened.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0040"><h2>40. Kelpie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nico groaned softly and stared up at the sky. He loved having a Hellhound. He really did, but they were exhausting. Hades the Hellhound never got tired, even when he played with Mrs. O'Leary. Nico had been trying to exhaust his pet for the last week since they had to give him a few shots.</p>
<p>Hades the Hellhound was not having it though. Numerous training sessions and endless games of fetch didn't seem to do anything. Nico was forced to think outside of the box, but thankfully, he had the help of his best friend. Nico turned his head and looked at Reyna.</p>
<p>Reyna was in the middle of firing a bow. The arrow flew through the clearing and went deep into the forest. Nico couldn't see where it went, but he saw three different blurs as Hades the Hellhound raced Reyna's two metallic dogs for the arrow and the piece of meat that was tied to it.</p>
<p>They had already destroyed four faulty shields that they had brought, along with defective weapons that made good toys for fetch. The arrows were something Reyna had not warned Nico about, so he was a little concerned when she first notched an arrow and eyed his Hellhound.</p>
<p>“I'm fine, Nico. You can stop worrying about me,” Reyna said. She slowly sat down and rested her head against the tree. Nico smiled slightly. It had been a week since Reyna and Arria had their fight, and Reyna refused to share any details with Nico. It did hurt a little since they told each other about everything.</p>
<p>“You know that I always worry about you,” Nico began. Reyna looked at him and rolled her eyes. “You seemed distracted that night, and you haven't mentioned Arria. Did you two break up?”</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna said. She sighed and closed her eyes. “We tried to talk it out, argued more, got into a yelling match, and Arria broke down. She spent the rest of the night crying in my arms. We've been working together to figure out how to handle Ricardo and Felika.”</p>
<p>Nico nodded and looked down. He had been avoiding that topic of conversation with Annabeth. It was hard enough that she didn't trust Reyna's girlfriend, and it was something that Nico didn't want to be caught in the middle of. That was a lot of trouble he didn't want to be involved in.</p>
<p>“I haven't heard of them,” Hazel said. She sat in between the two of them and smiled. Nico returned the smile. Hazel had asked to tag along on one of their outings, as she wanted a break from Camp Jupiter. She wouldn't share the details on what had happened, but if the whispers Nico had heard were correct, someone was bullying Hazel. He was going to find out who, and they were going to have a nice, long talk.</p>
<p>“They're two people from Arria's past, and they're extremely dangerous,” Reyna explained. She rubbed her face. Nico looked away from the two and looked around the clearing that they were sitting in. It was in the middle of a park not far from Camp Jupiter. From what Nico knew, Reyna took her dogs there once a month to allow them to stretch their legs and tear up the surrounding trees. It also allowed her a place to be alone and get away from everyone.</p>
<p>There was a small lake near them that Nico was almost tempted to jump into. The day was hotter than Hades, and he was regretting wearing his jacket. Reyna had teased him about wearing it, so pride wouldn't allow him to take it off. A small groan to his right told him that Reyna was laying down.</p>
<p>Nico looked towards the forest. The dogs weren't back, which was starting to concern him. Hades the Hellhound was getting along with the metallic dogs, but he was also smaller than other Hellhounds. Percy said that Hades the Hellhound would have a huge growth spurt, but it had yet to happen.</p>
<p>As Nico stared at the treeline, he saw something starting to move. He raised his fingers to his mouth to whistle but stopped as he saw a horse step into the clearing. Reyna glanced up and then focused back on relaxing. Hazel stared at the horse.</p>
<p>Considering Nico had seen all kinds of magical creatures, this horse wasn't that special. It was a beautiful chestnut color and had a black mane that was soaking wet. Seaweed was tangled in the horse's mane, and it looked like it had just stepped out of a lake.</p>
<p>“That seaweed can't be good for it,” Hazel said. She slowly stood and made her way towards the horse. The horse walked towards the lake and seemed more focused on the water than anything else. Hazel stopped a few feet from the horse. “Should I help it?”</p>
<p>“Just let it be,” Reyna answered. She opened one eye and sighed tiredly. “It's just a horse. Nothing special.”</p>
<p>“You sure there is nothing wrong with you?” Nico asked. He glanced down at Reyna, but she just closed her eyes again. There seemed to be bags under her eyes, and she did look more tired than normal. “Spending too much time with Arria?”</p>
<p>A blush came to Reyna's face, and she ignored his question. Nico smirked and rested against the tree. Hazel had moved closer to the horse and seemed to be struggling with removing the seaweed. From Nico's viewpoint, it didn't look that tangled in the horse's mane, but it also looked like Hazel was being very careful.</p>
<p>“You have to belong to someone,” Hazel whispered. She removed the seaweed and threw it into the water. The horse nudged her head. “Who would lose you? You're beautiful.”</p>
<p>The horse nuzzled Hazel's hand and allowed Hazel to run her fingers through its mane. Reyna spoke, “I hate horses. They're all uncool and freaky.”</p>
<p>“You had a Pegasus and loved him. What is the difference between a horse and a Pegasus?” Nico asked. Reyna sighed and muttered something in Latin. “They're the same thing.”</p>
<p>“One is cool and can fly. The other is a horse,” Reyna said quietly. She finally opened her eyes and sat up. “I thought you didn't like horses anyway. Why are you jumping to their defense?”</p>
<p>Nico shrugged. He glanced back at Hazel. She was still focused on the horse and looked ready to climb on it. Hazel glanced back at them, and Nico gave her a thumbs up. What's the worst that could happen?</p>
<p>Hazel smiled at him and slowly pulled herself onto the horse. Nico glanced at the horse and noticed that the seaweed was back in its hair. Didn't Hazel just remove that? Nico slowly stood and watched the horse moved closer to the water as if to take a drink. Then, the horse threw itself and Hazel into the water.</p>
<p>It only took a split second for Nico to process what had happened. He stared at the ripples in the water but was already making it to his feet. Nico ran towards the edge of the water. He tore off his jacket and stared down at the lake. It seemed much deeper than before, and Hazel was near the bottom.</p>
<p>Hazel was still on the horse, and it looked like she couldn't remove herself from it. The horse was only moving further into the water. Nico cursed and dove into the water. He swam towards the horse and reached for his sword.</p>
<p>Hazel had both of her hands pressed against the horse's back. Her arms shook with the effort of trying to push herself off of the horse, but it was no use. Nico grabbed onto Hazel's arms and tried pulling her off. Hazel didn't budge. She looked at him with terror in her eyes.</p>
<p>A sword appeared in Nico's vision, and he stared as something dark entered the murky water. Reyna drove her sword further into the horse's side, and after a few moments, Nico was able to pull Hazel from the horse. His lungs were starting to burn, but he did his best to focus on Hazel.</p>
<p>Nico gently pulled Hazel further away from the horse. He glanced up to show that they were far from the surface. How did they get so far away? Nico glanced back at the horse and saw it was gone. Reyna was holding onto her sword. She looked at Nico in surprise.</p>
<p>They needed to get out of the water. Nico swam towards the surface as fast and as he could, and when it felt like his lungs were about to explode, he broke the surface of the water. Hazel was right behind him. For a few moments, the only sound was the two of them trying to catch their breath.</p>
<p>Reyna broke the surface of the water near them. She cursed in Latin and practically pushed Hazel towards the shore. Nico started to follow them, but he felt something wrap around his leg. He looked down and was suddenly dragged underneath the water.</p>
<p>Nico's vision went dark, and he found his mouth involuntarily opening. Nico tried to breathe and instantly choked on water. He fought with the thing that had a hold of his leg, and as his vision started to clear, he saw it was gone. Nico quickly looked around and tried to swim back towards the surface of the water. Something grabbed onto his waist and pulled him down once again.</p>
<p>Drowning was not how Nico imagined his death. Even worse, a weird monster horse was going to be the reason that he died. No one would let him live it down. Something suddenly grabbed onto Nico's arm, and he saw more of that dark liquid, maybe blood, float through the water. The grip on his waist disappeared, and he felt someone drag him towards the surface.</p>
<p>As Nico's head broke the surface of the water, he gasped for breath. A hand pulled him towards the shore and didn't give him a second to get his bearings. Someone shoved him onto the shore, and he slowly crawled onto it. Nico focused on coughing out water and gasping for breath. Reyna finally let go of his shirt and looked down at him.</p>
<p>“Hazel, are you okay?” Reyna asked breathlessly, and her head turned to look at Hazel. Nico glanced to his right and saw that Hazel was on the opposite side of the lake. She was coughing out water and didn't seem to hear Reyna. “Hey, Nico. Are you okay? Can you breathe?”</p>
<p>Nico managed to nod, even though he was coughing so much. Reyna returned the nod and slowly got to her feet. Nico saw water slowly trickling out of the lake. It was a seaweed green color. He tried to call out a warning, but all he managed to do was point. Reyna looked down, but water wrapped around her legs and pull her feet out from under her.</p>
<p>Reyna hit the ground hard, and her sword flew out of her hands. She turned on her back and tried to reach for her fallen weapon. A woman suddenly appeared on top of Reyna and pinned her sword arm. Nico stared at them and slowly tried to get to his knees. Something cold and wet grabbed onto his leg. The woman winked at Nico, and he was pulled towards the water.</p>
<p>Nico dug his fingers into the muddy ground and tried to keep from being dragged back under the water. Where was Percy when they needed him? Nico felt himself starting to lose his grip, but despite his predicament, he looked back at the woman.</p>
<p>The woman was watching Nico with a grin. She wore a green dress that seemed to wrap around her body. It looked like it was made of seaweed. The woman's hair was as green as her dress, and there was a cruel smile on her face. The woman winked at Nico and then suddenly kissed Reyna.</p>
<p>Reyna tried to use her free arm to push the woman away, but Nico could see it wasn't doing any good. Reyna suddenly made a choking noise and moved her arm to grab her sword. The woman still had her lips pressed to Reyna's, but there was water trickling out of Reyna's mouth.</p>
<p>Nico felt a chill in his bone as he realized this woman was filling Reyna's lungs with water, and there wasn't anything that Reyna could do about it. The water still felt like it was trying to drag Nico underneath, but it also felt like the force of the pull had lessened. It didn't change the fact that he was having issues with keeping his fingers dug into the mud. He was already halfway into the water.</p>
<p>The woman pulled away from Reyna but kept a hand pressed to the praetor's mouth. The woman looked at Nico and spoke, “You foolish demigods are all the same. You think you can do whatever you want, but I will teach you the error of your ways. Let the waves take you, boy.”</p>
<p>Nico glared and reached for his sword. More water wrapped around his wrist, and he struggled to drag himself forward with his free arm. It would be comical if it wasn't for the fact that Nico would die if he was dragged back under the water.</p>
<p>A sword suddenly inserted itself into the woman's back, and she gasped in surprise. Hazel twisted the sword and tried to pull it out. Water suddenly wrapped around Hazel's waist and threw her across the clearing.</p>
<p>“Stupid demigod,” the woman hissed. She slowly stood and turned towards Hazel. As the woman stepped away from the lake, Nico felt the water let go of him. He quickly scrambled back onto the shore and glanced at Reyna. His best friend was coughing out water and wheezing for breath.</p>
<p>“The water takes what it desires,” the woman hissed. She approached Hazel, and Hazel slowly scooted back towards the trees. Nico glanced down at the woman and saw that she had hooves instead of feet. She didn't seem like a normal Satyr, so what was she? “All of you destroyed my culture. You caused my friends to fade. I will destroy the three of you.”</p>
<p>“You'll join your friends,” Hazel said. Nico slowly got to his feet and grabbed onto Reyna's sword. He flipped it into a javelin and felt strength coursing through his limbs. Nico threw the javelin, and it hit the woman in her thigh.</p>
<p>The woman stumbled forward in surprise, and Hazel took advantage of it. She slammed into the woman, knocking her to the ground. Nico tossed his sword towards Hazel. She caught it, flipped it in her hand, and stabbed the woman in the heart. The woman disintegrated into a mix of monster dust, black water, and seaweed.</p>
<p>Nico laid back on the ground and stared at the sky. He took deep breaths and tried to steady his breathing. Going from sound alone, Reyna was either struggling to cough out the water or was throwing it up. Hazel knelt by Nico.</p>
<p>“I'm sorry. This is all my fault,” Hazel began. Nico shook his head and slowly forced himself into a sitting position. There was no way that Hazel could have known the horse would have tried to kill her. “I didn't mean for any of this to happen.”</p>
<p>“None of us could have expected that to happen,” Nico commented. He grabbed Hazel's arm and smiled at her gently. Hazel looked down. “We're not mad at you, Hazel. Everyone makes mistakes, and there was no way to know that was what was going to happen. I think we should all stay away from water for the next couple of days though.”</p>
<p>Hazel nodded and slowly looked at Reyna. Nico followed her gaze. Reyna had managed to stop coughing,but she was still wheezing slightly. She collapsed onto her back and stared at the sky. Hazel spoke, “Praetor, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you. This is my fault.”</p>
<p>“It's not the first time one of my centurions tried to kill me, and it won't be the last,” Reyna said. She rubbed her throat and managed to sit back up. Her dogs joined her side after a moment, and Reyna glanced at them. “Great timing guys. Thanks for the help. And Hazel, what did I tell you about calling me praetor outside of Camp Jupiter?”</p>
<p>Hazel smiled slightly and seemed to relax. Hades the Hellhound slammed into her from behind and licked her face. A laugh escaped from Hazel. Nico glanced at Reyna.</p>
<p>“Arria is going to be jealous when she learns that you kissed another girl,” Nico said. Reyna rolled her eyes and rested her head on Aurum's back. She looked completely exhausted, which was pretty much how Nico felt. “Any guesses on what that was?”</p>
<p>“A water monster,” Hazel suggested. Reyna nodded her agreement and groaned softly. She slowly got to her feet. “I think Percy mentioned a monster that was bullying some Dryads. It was called Kelpie. That matches the description of the woman, with the hooves and all.”</p>
<p>“She tasted disgusting,” Reyna muttered. She wiped her lips and slowly picked up her weapon. Reyna knelt by the pile of monster dust and grabbed a small amulet from the pile. She tossed it towards Hazel. “To the victor goes the spoils.”</p>
<p>Hazel smiled and examined the amulet. It took her a moment to pocket it. “So, we aren't going to mention this to anyone, right? It would be almost as bad as your time in Albania.”</p>
<p>Reyna's eyes widened, and she stared at Nico. He managed a small grin. There was a slight chance that he had told Hazel about Albania, but it was a total accident. Reyna's look of surprise turned into a dangerous glare that told Nico he needed to get out of sight.</p>
<p>“We should all get back to our respective camps and take nice, long showers,” Nico said. He glanced down at his watch, which was no longer working. He just hoped he could take a shower before Percy could hog all of the warm water.</p>
<p>“I guess we should,” Hazel said quietly. Nico glanced up and frowned. He knew that tone of voice, and he also saw the look in Reyna's eyes. She glanced at him and nodded slightly. If Hazel would rather stay in the clearing with the water monster that had almost killed her instead of going back to Camp Jupiter, things with the bully couldn't be good. Maybe, Nico would go to Camp Jupiter with them and check things out for himself. If he was lucky, he would find the bully by the end of the night and handle them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0041"><h2>41. Get Chuck Part One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Everyone is giving us weird looks,” Nico commented. He glanced around the restaurant and frowned. The Mist usually did a great job of hiding the things that they were doing, but now, it seemed like it didn't want to work. Granted, he didn't know if the Mist covered baby Satyrs eating silverware.</p>
<p>“That's how it normally is though,” Reyna said. She glanced around and grabbed a fork off of the table near them. She handed it to Chuck, who made a bleating noise and started eating it. Reyna leaned back in her seat and glanced at Nico. Chuck looked at Nico and moved onto his lap, for the fifth time in the last minute. “He's taken a liking to you.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Nico began. It wasn't that he disliked babies or children, but Chuck was a handful. The baby Satyr was crawling everywhere, eating any silverware in sight, and causing everyone to stare at them. He was also not leaving Nico's side for more than ten seconds. “When is Hedge coming back?”</p>
<p>“Whenever he is done with his message. It sounded like it would take him a couple of minutes. I think his doctor canceled another appointment with Chuck. Apparently, it's hard to find a doctor for a baby Satyr. Well, is Chuck a toddler now? I can't even tell,” Reyna commented. She glanced at Nico, smiled, and then focused back on her food.</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Nico admitted. His eyes moved towards his food, which Chuck absolutely refused to look at. He had just eaten everything else on the table. Nico sighed. “How has Hazel been doing?”</p>
<p>“I think she's recovered from that water monster trying to kill us,” Reyna answered. She leaned back and winced slightly. Nico glanced at her concerned. “Just sore from training. Anyway, she's acting pretty normal to me. I haven't noticed anything off.”</p>
<p>Nico nodded, but his brotherly senses were tingling. He knew something was off about Hazel, but it was impossible to put his finger on exactly what it was. His investigation a week ago gave him nothing. Nico sighed and looked at the ceiling.</p>
<p>“Hey, I'll keep an eye out. Promise,” Reyna said. Nico gave her a thumbs up, and he sighed tiredly. Nico saw a woman enter his vision, and she looked down at him. A smile came to her face, but Nico just stared up at her.</p>
<p>“I hope I am not interrupting,” the woman said. She grabbed a chair from a nearby table and sat next to them. Nico slowly sat up and looked at the woman. Reyna raised an eyebrow. “That's a cute kid. Gleeson Hedge's boy?”</p>
<p>“How did you know that?” Reyna asked. She crossed her arms and studied the woman. The woman looked too elegant and refined to be someone that Hedge would spend time with. Nico instinctively pulled Chuck closer to him.</p>
<p>“It's my job to know everything and everyone, Reyna,” the woman said. Reyna narrowed her eyes. “Don't be so cross. I only came here to meet the great praetor that I have heard so much about. You're very fit and healthy. I could fetch a great price for you.”</p>
<p>Nico glared at the woman. He didn't know who the woman was, but she wasn't going to lay a hand on Reyna. The woman looked at him and continued, “You don't look like much, but I've heard about your power. You could fetch a good price if I find the right collector.”</p>
<p>“Who are you?” Reyna hissed. She tried to stand, but the woman grabbed her arm and smiled. The movement seemed to unnerve Reyna, and she slowly sat back down. The woman glanced back at Nico.</p>
<p>“Praetor, I want my little bird back,” the woman said. Reyna's eyes widened, and she tried to stand. The woman was quicker and slammed Reyna back into the booth. Nico went to stand, but he saw the tip of a dagger resting against Reyna's throat. “I have put much time and energy into her, and I just want her back.”</p>
<p>“Felika,” Nico said. The woman looked at him and gave him a confirming smile. Nico used one hand to pull Chuck extremely close to him. Chuck seemed more interested in the metal on Nico's necklace than anything else. Nico's other hand grabbed onto his sword. “I've heard the name, but who are you exactly?”</p>
<p>“I am a collector of goods,” Felika said. She pulled the dagger away from Reyna's throat and took a few steps backward. Reyna tensed in her seat but didn't move an inch. She seemed to be watching Felika for any kind of movement.</p>
<p>“You're a slaver,” Reyna snapped. Nico looked at Reyna in surprise. If Felika was a slaver, did that mean Arria was a slave? Felika laughed and shook her head. “You and Ricardo aren't going to get your hands on Arria again.”</p>
<p>“Is that what she calls herself now?” Felika wondered. She hummed to herself and smiled again. “It doesn't matter. See, I am going to get her back. Between all of the training and lessons that we taught her, it would be against our best interests to not get her back. You have one chance to help us, Reyna.”</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna said. It seemed like she struggled to get the word out just because of her anger. Nico moved Chuck to his other side and really hoped that Hedge would finish with his message soon. “Get out of here. If you ever come near Arria, I will end you.”</p>
<p>“I guess I need some leverage then,” Felika said. Her eyes moved towards Chuck. Nico felt someone grab onto the back of his jacket, and he was pulled out of the booth from behind. Someone slammed him into the table that had been at his back. The table buckled under his weight, and Nico suddenly found himself face-first on the ground with half of a table on him.</p>
<p>Nico blinked a few times and scrambled out from under the table. He stood and turned around. A fist slammed into his face before he could even fully turn around. Nico stumbled backward and was kicked in the stomach.</p>
<p>Nico hit the ground hard and saw a boot appear above his eyes. He caught onto the boot and shoved the person away. Nico scrambled backward and made it to his feet. A man that was three times his size was standing only a few feet away from him.</p>
<p>“Great,” Nico muttered. He ducked under another punch from the man, and he slammed his shoulder into the man's sternum. It felt like he had hit a tree, and a hand grabbed onto his jacket. Nico was thrown into another table and barely avoided getting a face full of soup.</p>
<p>Nico placed a hand to his sword and rolled onto his back. A look around showed that Reyna had jumped on the man's back and had an arm wrapped around his throat. Felika seemed to be gone, along with all the other mortals. The only mortal still in the restaurant was wearing a hood that covered their face, and they were holding onto Chuck.</p>
<p>The man managed to pry Reyna's forearm from around his throat, and he threw her over his shoulder. Reyna landed on her feet and slammed her elbow into the man's chest. He caught her elbow and pulled her backward into a chokehold.</p>
<p>Nico rolled onto his stomach and made it to his feet. He kicked the man in the back of the knee. The man was thrown to the ground a moment later, and Reyna pinned him, digging her dagger into his neck.</p>
<p>“Where did she go?” Reyna hissed. When the man didn't respond, Reyna dug the dagger in more. Nico grabbed her arm, and his best friend dropped the dagger. She dug her forearm into the man's throat until he fell into unconsciousness.</p>
<p>Reyna sat on the ground, and Nico moved to her side. They both met eyes and nodded. A clapping interrupted their moment. Nico looked at a hooded figure, who still had Chuck in their arms.</p>
<p>“Very impressive,” the figure said. Nico frowned. He recognized that voice, but he couldn't remember the name. Chuck was biting on the person's fingers, but they didn't seem to be bothered. “It's been quite some time.”</p>
<p>“Thanks for the help,” Reyna muttered. She slowly got to her feet and walked towards the hooded figure. “Give me the Satyr.”</p>
<p>“Oh no. He's my friend,” the hooded figure said. They pulled off their hood, and Nico found himself glaring at the goddess in front of them. Ate gave them a wide grin. “And, he's my payment. If I recall correctly, I helped the two of you out of a bind. I've come to collect.”</p>
<p>“You're not taking Chuck. Let him go,” Nico said. Ate smiled and slowly stood. She placed Chuck on the table and looked at them. Nico moved to Reyna's side. Ate was very lucky that Hedge wasn't near them to hear the threats.</p>
<p>“Are two demigods going to stop me? Feel free to take a hit,” Ate said. Reyna clenched her fist and looked at Nico. Her eyes moved to the shadows, and Nico nodded. “Satyrs make great soup, especially the little ones. They don't have so many bones that get in the way.”</p>
<p>“Step out of the way,” Reyna ordered. Ate smiled and spoke in Latin. Reyna's eyes flickered up and then narrowed. She suddenly attacked the goddess, and Ate barely avoided a sword going into her throat.</p>
<p>Nico shoved past the goddess and grabbed onto Chuck. He turned to run into the nearest shadow, but a boot slammed into his back, sending him flying forward. As Nico fell, he twisted and hit the ground hard, so Chuck wouldn't take any damage from the fall.</p>
<p>Nico went to sit up, but a boot slammed into his face. His head whiplashed against the ground, and Chuck was torn from his grasp. Nico tried to sit up, but he saw a bright flash of light.</p>
<p>“No. No. No,” Nico said. He made it to his feet, stumbled forward, and fell to his knees. Nico let out a soft curse and saw that the goddess was gone, along with Chuck. He stared at the ground and slowly placed both hands on his face.</p>
<p>How could they lose Chuck? Their only job was to keep an eye on him. Hedge was going to kill them. He would never trust them again. Nico lowered his hand and saw that blood was trickling from his nose. A hand grabbed his shoulder.</p>
<p>“I'm okay. Are you?” Nico asked. He slowly looked up, and Reyna helped him to his feet. Reyna nodded slightly and looked around. “Where did they go?”</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Reyna muttered. She winced and limped towards where her sword had fallen. Reyna stopped walking and hit a table in anger. She let out a curse and hit the table again. Reyna sat in it and buried her face in her hands.</p>
<p>Nico agreed with the sentiment. He sat near Reyna and rested his chin on his fists. Hopefully, Ate would send them some kind of message to taunt them or just do anything to give them some kind of clue to where Chuck had gone. Otherwise, he didn't know how they would find Chuck.</p>
<p>“We should get out of here before any cops come,” Nico began. After a few moments, Reyna stood and walked out of the restaurant. Nico followed behind her. As they made it outside, his heart dropped to his stomach. Hedge was walking down the street, with a wide grin on his face.</p>
<p>As Hedge made it towards them, he quickly lost his grin. His eyes moved over them, as if to examine them. Nico glanced down and realized they were both covered in food and a bit of blood. Nico spoke, “We have to talk Hedge. You might want to sit down.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0042"><h2>42. Get Chuck Part Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“We are sorry, Hedge. We did everything we could have done, but she just outmatched us,” Nico said. He had just finished telling Hedge the story of what happened. Hedge was staring at them, and it was extremely hard to meet his gaze. “I'm sorry. Ate stole Chuck.”</p>
<p>“Who ate Chuck?” Hedge demanded. Nico took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It sounded like Hedge was in a state of shock and barely processing the words they were saying. When Nico opened his eyes, he saw Reyna was watching him. She sighed and looked back at the table.</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna muttered. She leaned back in her seat and stared up at the sky. There was a bruise forming on her jaw, and her mood was a lot worse than it had been when the story started. “The goddess Ate took Chuck.”</p>
<p>“I know the goddess took Chuck to eat him, but which one took him?” Hedge asked. He looked in between the two of them. Reyna cursed in Latin and put her head in her hands. Nico rubbed her back and made a face as something he hoped was gravy got stuck on his hand.</p>
<p>“The goddess,” Nico began. He knew Hedge was still in shock, so they just had to be patient with him. Hedge looked at him and held up a hand. Nico took a deep breath. It seemed like Hedge was finally understanding the words.</p>
<p>“I know that a goddess took Chuck. We've been through that. She took him to eat him, but which goddess took my son?” Hedge asked. Nico and Reyna simultaneously groaned. Hedge looked in between them and crossed his arms. “Where is my son?”</p>
<p>“We don't know,” Reyna snapped. She hit the table and cursed. “We don't know Hedge, okay? The goddess named Ate attacked us and took Chuck. She's working with a slaver that is hunting us, specifically me, because she's trying to find my girlfriend, so like everything bad that happens to you guys, it's my fault. Even worse, my sister was right again.”</p>
<p>Reyna took a deep breath and hit the table again. She rested her head back in her hands. Nico looked at Reyna and spoke, “This isn't your fault, Reyna. It's mine for even trusting Ate in the first place.”</p>
<p>“And, I'm the reason you worked with her,” Reyna muttered. Nico sighed and rubbed Reyna's back again. His eyes focused on anything but Hedge's face. How were they going to find Chuck? How did they manage to lose Hedge's son, to a slaver of all people?</p>
<p>“What do we know about the goddess?” Hedge asked. Nico slowly looked up and tried to remember anything about the goddess. “I know she had a terrible name, but there has to be more that you two know about her.”</p>
<p>“She's always chased by another person, as a punishment,” Nico recalled. He couldn't remember the name of the person, or was it a group? Nico looked down. “Lupa doesn't like her, but I don't really know anything else about her. I'm sorry.”</p>
<p>“What about the slaver that the goddess is working with?” Hedge questioned. He stood and started to pace. Nico glanced at Reyna and saw she was staring at the table. There was a faraway look in her eyes. Nico nudged his best friend, and she glanced at him. “Who is the slaver?”</p>
<p>“Her name is Felika,” Reyna muttered. She looked back at the table. “She's a follower of Hecate, who is extremely skilled in magic. As far as I know, she captures creatures from myths and sells them to the highest bidder.”</p>
<p>“Mellie is going to kill me,” Hedge said. He took a deep breath and stopped pacing. “I've been begging her to let me take Chuck out, ever since that little incident with the Hydra. How was I supposed to know that the Hydra wasn't one of the rides? It was at a carnival. Why wouldn't it be a ride?”</p>
<p>“Hydra? You didn't tell us about that,” Nico began. Hedge looked at them and then looked down. He sighed and looked back up at them.</p>
<p>“I took Chuck to a carnival and thought that the Hydra was one of the rides. It wasn't moving, until it almost burned my hide of and took Chuck. I had to hunt the Hydra down to its lair and rescue my son,” Hedge explained. “Chuck wasn't hurt, but Mellie was mad at me for a month.”</p>
<p>“Why didn't you ask us to help?” Nico asked. He slowly stood and leaned on the table. Hedge looked at Nico and then Reyna. He looked back at the ground and sighed deeply.</p>
<p>“I'm useless,” Hedge said. He collapsed into a chair and stared at the sky. “Compared to you two, I'm nothing. You two are the only reason we were able to get Athena's statue to Camp Half-Blood. I was just a glorified babysitter. It's my fault that we almost died in Albania. It's my fault that you two almost died to a crazy animal goddess. I just wanted to prove to Mellie that I am worth being her husband.”</p>
<p>“Hedge, Mellie is lucky to have you. If she didn't love you, she wouldn't have married you,” Reyna said. She took a deep breath and looked at both of them. Nico gave her a nod. “We've all made mistakes by not working with each other. If we work together, we can get Chuck back. I'll send a message to Arria and see what she can tell us about Felika.”</p>
<p>“Arria isn't going to get involved,” a voice said. Nico's heart jumped to his throat, and he quickly turned around. Hedge turned around and was already swinging his club. It stopped a couple of inches from a woman's face. The woman blinked once and looked at them.</p>
<p>Nico didn't recognize the woman's face, and if he had ever seen her before, he would definitely know. The woman's eyes were a very pale shade of gray, as if someone had drained the life out of them. Nico glanced down at the woman's cloak and black armor, and as he saw the mask on her belt, his heart dropped down to his stomach.</p>
<p>“Inquisitor Nerva, what are you doing here?” Reyna asked. The woman, Nerva, slowly looked at Reyna. The two studied each other. “And, why shouldn't Arria get involved?”</p>
<p>“I am going to protect my little sister,” Nerva answered. Reyna's eyes widened, and she frowned. Her gaze moved to Nico. “The man that you two left behind was very talkative. Felika did not get far, but she is already speaking to her contacts about selling the child. We don't have much time.”</p>
<p>Nerva started walking down the street. Hedge looked at them and spoke, “She's weird. I like her. Come on.”</p>
<p>Hedge hurried down the street and made it to Nerva's side. After glancing at each other, Reyna and Nico followed. Reyna seemed to be lost in thought. As they walked, Nico nudged his best friend and spoke, “You okay?”</p>
<p>“I didn't know that Arria had a sister. She didn't tell me,” Reyna muttered. She looked down. Nico nudged her again, and they caught up to Nerva and Hedge. Nerva glanced back at them. “Inquisitor, do you have a plan?”</p>
<p>“Yes. Felika's death is the number one priority. The rescue of the boy is second,” Nerva said. Hedge gave Nerva a look, and he opened his mouth. Nico nudged him and shook his head. “We will split up. Praetor Ramirez will go with the Faun.”</p>
<p>“Satyr,” Hedge corrected. Nerva stopped walking and looked at him. After a moment, she blinked and started to walk again. Hedge fell in step beside them. “I'm not sure if I like her that much anymore. I get a weird vibe from her, and her scent is all kinds of wrong.”</p>
<p>“She's not human, right?” Nico whispered. Hedge looked at him and nodded his agreement. Reyna looked at the two of them and rolled her eyes. Nico shrugged and looked back at Nerva. The inquisitor had stopped outside of a hotel. “What's your plan?”</p>
<p>“Go through the back,” Nerva ordered, but her gaze was focused on Reyna and Hedge. Reyna nodded and pulled Hedge into the alleyway. Nico glanced at Nerva and then looked at the hotel. Through the windows, he could see a family checking out at the front desk. The lobby was full of people sitting around talking. He didn't see Felika anywhere though.</p>
<p>Nico placed his hand to his sword. There was a small part of him that didn't trust Nerva. The inquisitor had literally appeared at their side and was now having them split up. It set Nico on the edge. His eyes shot around the street, but mortals were going about their business.</p>
<p>“Hide your blade,” Nerva ordered. She fixed her cloak to hide her own sword, and she stepped into the hotel. Nico didn't have many options to hide his weapon, so he stepped inside behind Nerva and grabbed a magazine off of a nearby table. He held it loosely in his hand and used it to cover the parts of his sword that his arm didn't.</p>
<p>As they stepped into the lobby, Nico glanced around again. Most of the people in the room seemed to have their faces buried in their phones or laptops. Tables and chairs were scattered about, but no one was really looking at them. Nerva pushed past the family checking out and stepped up to the counter.</p>
<p>“Where are you?” Nerva asked. The receptionist slowly looked up from her computer. Her eyes were brown, but instead of a black pupil, it was an odd shade of pink. The receptionist looked back down and typed into her computer. “Where are you, Felika?”</p>
<p>The receptionist grabbed a key card and handed it to Nerva. As Nerva went to grab it, the receptionist grabbed her hand tightly and spoke, “I want my little bird back. If I don't get her, I will break the four of you.”</p>
<p>The receptionist blinked, and the pink disappeared from her eyes. She looked at Nerva and smiled brightly. Nerva pulled her arm away and handed the key card to Nico. She looked more annoyed than anything.</p>
<p>“Do you need anything else today?” the receptionist asked. Nerva simply walked away from the counter and started to walk towards the stairs. Nico glanced back at the receptionist and muttered a thanks. He quickly hurried behind Nerva.</p>
<p>The entire thing worried him. Looking around, he knew that a trap had been laid for them. Felika was toying with them now and just leaving breadcrumbs for them to follow. Nico spoke, “You have a plan, right?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Nerva answered. Nico glanced at her. There was no way that Nerva actually had a plan. Nico looked around and tried to make one of his own. Felika had been able to control the receptionist and speak through her. Everyone in the lobby seemed uninterested in them. Was Felika a daughter of Aphrodite?</p>
<p>Nico followed Nerva up two flights of stairs, and they stopped at a door. Nerva pushed the door open and stepped into the empty hallway. Nico followed but pushed past her. He walked through the hall and glanced under each of the doors. It was hard to see if the lights were on or not, but he didn't hear any sounds from any of the rooms.</p>
<p>“This is a trap,” Nico said. Nerva nodded once and walked towards the room that was in the middle of the hallway. She slipped the key into the door, and when it unlocked, she slammed it open. Nico was about to step inside, but he saw a green mist fill the air, and something sweet hit his lungs.</p>
<p>Nico covered his mouth with his hand and looked back down the hallway. The exit seemed like it was a mile away. Nerva gasped and started coughing. Nico backed away and slowly looked at her. Nerva was wheezing for breath and choking on whatever was in the air.</p>
<p>Nico grabbed onto Nerva's arm, and she slowly looked at him. Her pupils were starting to turn pink. Nico stepped away and turned to run. A javelin flew by his head a moment later, and he turned back towards Nerva. A sword almost went through his face, and he barely dodged to the side.</p>
<p>Without meaning to, Nico took a breath. The air tasted sweet, but it caused him to cough and gasp for more breath. A fist slammed into his stomach, which only caused him to cough more and start wheezing. The world around him started to darken, and the coughing only became worse.</p>
<p>His eyes closed, and everything became peaceful. When Nico opened his eyes, he was in another place.  Nico slowly looked around the battlefield that he was standing at. Corpses seemed to litter every single side of him.</p>
<p>A glance down at the corpses showed that all of them were wearing either Greek or Roman armor. Nico felt a cold feeling settle in his gut, and he looked down at their faces. Regret filled him, as he saw the faces of his friends, both Roman and Greek.</p>
<p>“This is what happens when you fail,” a voice said. Nico quickly turned around, and he stared at the crazy blue eyes of a dead man. His eyes moved from the figure's pale skin to their blackened and burned toga. “This is what happens when I win.”</p>
<p>“You're dead,” Nico began. He looked up at Octavian and blinked again. This had to be some kind of nightmare. Nico shook his head. Everything felt so real. “What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>“What do you mean, Greek scum?” Octavian asked. He looked around and smiled. Nico smelled flames, and he turned around. His heart dropped, as he saw Camp Half-Blood was burning. Figures in Roman armor were only feeding the flames and destroying the things they couldn't burn. “Are you really surprised that you failed? After Bryce dispatched of the traitor, it just fell apart for all of you.”</p>
<p>“We stopped you,” Nico began. He blinked a few times and looked around. Bryce had died by his hands, hadn't he? Nico frowned and closed his eyes. He tried to remember the day, but all he remembered was Bryce holding his pilum to Reyna's face. He flicked it across her face, drawing blood. Then, he had stabbed her in the chest.</p>
<p>Nico's eyes snapped open, and he looked around again. That wasn't right. He had done something before Bryce could kill Reyna. They had brought the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood and brought peace. They didn't fail. Right?</p>
<p>“But you did,” Octavian whispered. He sounded right behind Nico. “You could not bring the statue here by yourself. You stumbled out of the shadows and into this slaughter. I will kill you and submit my legacy to this world. I am the leader that New Rome requires.”</p>
<p>Nico grabbed his sword and swung at Octavian's neck. Octavian blocked it with a sword and shoved Nico backward. The two clashed swords once again until Nico was shoved in the mountain of corpses. It felt like hitting a wall.</p>
<p>Nico saw the sword flying towards his face, and he ducked underneath. Nico stabbed his sword through Octavian's stomach and watched the blade exit his back. Nico shoved Octavian to the ground and placed a foot to his neck. He spoke, “Your reign of terror is over.”</p>
<p>The son of Hades reached behind him and grabbed Octavian's sword, which was embedded in a corpse that looked just like Will. Anger filled Nico's veins, and he stabbed downwards. Something slammed into his forearm, and the force caused him to stumble to the side. The sword flew out of his hands, and he looked down at the javelin that had torn through his forearm.</p>
<p>A force slammed Nico into the ground. He felt something remove the javelin from his arm, and a voice started talking to him. Nico tried to summon any of his powers, but nothing happened. The ground didn't split open. He couldn't get to the shadows to travel. All he could do was slowly become aware of the pain in his arm.</p>
<p>“Take a deep breath. Now,” a voice ordered. Nico blinked again. He saw someone pinning him, but the shadows swallowed their features. Another person was behind them and seemed to be holding a club. The person that was pinning Nico looked behind them. “We have to get going. What are you doing?”</p>
<p>“Protecting my family,” the figure with the club hissed. They sounded familiar. Was that Hedge? Nico closed his eyes and heard the sound of something solid hitting the wall. He forced his eyes to stay shut. Everything that had happened with Octavian seemed so real, but it had to be fake.</p>
<p>They were successful with delivering the Athena Parthenos. Reyna wasn't killed by Bryce Lawrence. Nico had killed him. Whatever he was seeing wasn't real. Nico took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He was back in the hallway and staring up at dim lights.</p>
<p>Pain was burning in his arm, and he looked down to see blood flowing from his forearm. He saw something fly over his face and slam into the wall. He stared at the club and watched Reyna slam Hedge into the the opposite wall. She shoved the Satyr away and collapsed to her knees, coughing miserably.</p>
<p>Nico quickly got to his feet. The air still tasted extremely sweet, but it wasn't causing him to see things anymore. He looked down and saw his sword buried in Nerva's stomach. Blood was trickling from her mouth, and she was struggling to keep her eyes open.</p>
<p>“It's not real,” Reyna hissed. Nico looked up and saw his best friend was still on her knees. She hit the wall in anger and coughed more. Nico hurried to Reyna's side and saw that Hedge was laying on the ground, snoring away. “He's not here. It's not real.”</p>
<p>“It's not,” Nico promised. He knelt by Reyna and grabbed her face. She slowly looked at him, but her eyes seemed to be thousands of miles away. The pink was slowly starting to overtake her pupils, but it seemed to disappear before reappearing. “I'm going to help you, Reyna. It's me, Nico. I'm here. Whatever you're seeing isn't real.”</p>
<p>Reyna closed her eyes and coughed again. Nico glanced behind them. Hedge seemed like he would be fine, even if he did have a nice bump on his head. Nerva looked a lot worse. She was using her cloak to try and slow the blood loss.</p>
<p>Nico moved to Nerva's side and grabbed onto her cloak. He felt how much blood was on it, and his heart almost stopped. Nico looked at Reyna and spoke, “She needs a child of Apollo, now.”</p>
<p>“Get her out of here,” Reyna muttered. She tried to stand and hissed. Reyna rested her head against the wall and hit it repeatedly. “I can't get him out of my head. I know it's not real, but I can't get rid of him.”</p>
<p>Nico swallowed painfully and looked around the hallway. There was no way that he could shadow travel all of them out of there, and even if he could, they still didn't have Chuck. He couldn't just leave.</p>
<p>“Nico, you have to leave,” Reyna hissed. She hit the wall again. “I'm going to lose it, Nico. I can't fight it anymore. You have to get Nerva out of here and find Arria. I'll find Chuck.”</p>
<p>Reyna coughed again and collapsed back to her knees. Nico's stomach twisted, but he knelt by Nerva. He slowly dragged the Inquisitor into the shadows and felt everything starting to spin. When Nico blinked, he found himself in the middle of a meeting room that he didn't recognize. He collapsed to his knees and found two swords pointed at his face.</p>
<p>A look up showed that he was surrounded by six cloaked figures. All of them looked to be part of the Inquisition. This definitely wasn't where Nico wanted to go. He spoke, “We were attacked. I need to find Arria.”</p>
<p>The two swords moved from his face, and he let out a shaky breath. One of the members of the Inquisition spoke in Latin, and two of them knelt by Nerva. It occurred to Nico that it probably wasn't a good time to ask for his sword back. He could only stare at the rest of the Inquisition surrounded Nerva.</p>
<p>Nico felt a familiar presence behind him, and he slowly looked behind him. Arria stared at him and then looked at Nerva. She spoke, “What happened? Nerva said she was going to meet Reyna for a follow up on the Banshee.”</p>
<p>“Felika happened. There was this green mist that smelled really sweet,” Nico began. He felt Arria grab his forearm, and he was starting to become aware of how weak he was feeling. His forearm burned in pain, and it felt like he had lost a lot of blood.</p>
<p>“Where is Reyna?” Arria asked. Nico looked down and felt guilt spreading through his chest. Arria let out a shaky breath and she led Nico out of the room. “We're going to get your arm looked at, and then, we're going to hunt Felika down.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0043"><h2>43. Get Chuck III</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Reyna's eyes drifted open, she was very aware of the burning pain in her wrists. Her arms were tied tightly to the chair that she was in, and the ropes seemed to be cutting into her skin. Reyna listened to her surroundings, and when she didn't hear anything, she opened her eyes.</p>
<p>Reyna looked around the small room that she was in. There was blood covering the ground, and most of it seemed to be dried. The chair she was sitting in felt like it was bolted to the ground. Her legs weren't tied to the chair, but there wasn't much she could do to move.</p>
<p>Reyna shifted in the chair and looked around. The lone light in the room was flickering above her, and it seemed ready to go out at any moment. Reyna glanced to her side and saw a bed in the corner of the room. There was a table near it with tools on it.</p>
<p>Truthfully, she didn't remember much of what had happened at the hotel. She remembered entering the hallway and seeing that Nico was only seconds from killing Nerva. Reyna had thrown her javelin, and everything was fuzzy after that. She did remember a voice taunting her, but she couldn't remember what they had said or who they were. Reyna remembered telling Nico to leave, and everything after that was a complete blank.</p>
<p>The door in front of her opened, and harsh light flooded the room. Reyna looked away and heard the sound of someone grunting. Hedge was thrown to the ground near her. The Faun rolled onto his back and tried to sit up, but a large man placed a foot to his chest.</p>
<p>“Don't move,” the man ordered. Hedge glared and tried to struggle, but it seemed pretty hard to do since his hands and feet were tied. There was fresh blood trickling from Hedge's nose. “What are you doing, Satyr? You're useless.”</p>
<p>“I'll show you useless,” Hedge snapped. He tried to move, but the man's foot easily kept him pinned. Reyna heard more footsteps and slowly looked up at Felika. A hand grabbed her head and forced it backwards.</p>
<p>Reyna hissed and glared up at Felika. She spoke, “You're a coward.”</p>
<p>Felika rolled her eyes and gripped Reyna's face tightly. Nails dug into Reyna's cheek, and she glared angrily. Felika spoke, “Praetor, I don't need the lecture today. I went through a great deal to capture you, and we both know what I want. Can we make this easy on ourselves?”</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna said. Felika sighed and nodded. She walked towards the table. Reyna bit the inside of her cheek and stared at the crimson blade that was lifted from the table. Felika walked back over and ran the blade over Reyna's face.</p>
<p>Reyna stared ahead and tried to keep from flinching in fear. Felika hummed softly and moved the blade down to Reyna's neck. She spoke, “We really don't have to do this, Reyna. I would hate to ruin that pretty little face of yours.”</p>
<p>The blade moved from Reyna's neck and moved downwards. Felika was still only a few inches from Reyna's face. Reyna nodded slightly and suddenly slammed her head into Felika's.</p>
<p>The sound of a nose breaking was the best sound that Reyna had heard in a long time. A fist slammed into her mouth a moment later. Reyna's head snapped to the side, and she laughed slightly. Reyna spoke, “Is that really the best you have?”</p>
<p>Reyna slowly looked back at Felika. She could feel her bottom lip had been gashed open by Felika's ring. The punch had hurt a lot more than Reyna was expecting, but she took a sick pleasure in seeing the blood trickle from Felika's nose.</p>
<p>Felika placed a hand to her nose and seemed to be in shock. She finally cleared her throat and looked at the man, who was still pinning Hedge. Felika spoke, “Make her pay for her disrespect.”</p>
<p>“Arria always did say you were a coward,” Reyna said. She watched the way that Felika's fist clenched, and noticed how Felika's eyes were narrowing into a glare. “You always hid behind your slaves and servants. You always had them do your dirty work. Have you ever gotten your hands dirty?”</p>
<p>A fist slammed into Reyna's face, and she almost got whiplash from the impact. The man raised his fist again, but Felika held up her hand. She grabbed the crimson blade from the ground and nodded to the man. Reyna felt him grab her head and force it back against the chair.</p>
<p>Felika sat on Reyna's lap and got uncomfortably close to Reyna's face. Her breath smelled just as sweet as the mist in the hallway did. Felika pressed her mouth to Reyna's ear and spoke, “I don't think you understand the position you are in. No one is coming to help you. Arria knows where this place is, but she doesn't worry me.”</p>
<p>“Arria isn't the one you should be worried about,” Reyna whispered back. The man wasn't allowing her to move her head, so she moved her eyes to glare at Felika. “Nico is going to tear you apart.”</p>
<p>“The little son of Hades won't lay a finger on me, especially if you're protecting me,” Felika whispered. Reyna glared at her. “I am impressed that you managed to fight it before, but I've made an increased dosage, just for you.”</p>
<p>Felika reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box that had a mouthpiece at the end. She placed the box in her mouth and seemed to take a deep breath. Felika looked at Reyna and blew the mist right into her face.</p>
<p>Reyna's nostrils were filled with the sweet scent, and she tried not to breathe it in. Felika blew more air into Reyna's face until Reyna was forced to take a breath. She coughed miserably and felt the world starting to fade away.</p>
<p>Reyna focused on the wall and started to pull at the ropes. The pain centered her and brought her back to reality. The mist was heavy in the air, and it only caused Reyna to cough worse. The mist felt like it was squeezing the air right out of her lungs.</p>
<p>Felika nodded to the man, who let go of Reyna's head. Reyna coughed miserably and choked on the sweet mist. She pulled against the rope more and tried to focus on her pain. Instead, she saw ropes in her hand, as she helped raise the sails on a pirate ship. A loud, commanding voice barked out orders. A blade ran across Reyna's face, bringing her back to the present. Felika spoke, “That's a nice tattoo you have there. It would be quite a shame if I were to put my mark over it.”</p>
<p>“All you do is talk,” Reyna wheezed. Her throat was starting to burn from the mist, and it had completely lost its sweet taste. If she listened close enough, she could hear the ocean. Felika's lip twitched, and Reyna realized just how upset Felika was getting. “You're nothing more than a coward. You hide behind magic and mind tricks.”</p>
<p>“I could cut out your tongue,” Felika said. She nodded to the man, and he grabbed Reyna's jaw, prying it open. Felika smirked and leaned in closer. Reyna kicked out at Felika and felt her foot hit something solid.</p>
<p>Felika gasped in pain and dropped the blade. She stumbled backwards and gripped her knee. Reyna kicked the blade to the side. She watched the man move to Felika's side, and she quickly tried forcing her right arm out of the rope.</p>
<p>“I'm done playing nice,” Felika said. She cursed and gripped her kneecap. The man steadied Felika, and Reyna couldn't stop the smirk that came to her face. Felika looked at her and glared. “Demigod, you're going to pay for that.”</p>
<p>“Take your best shot,” Reyna said. Felika glared and spoke to the man in another language. He led her out of the room. Reyna slowly looked at Hedge. “We have less than a minute for you to get out of the ropes.”</p>
<p>Hedge nodded slightly and wheezed. He scooted towards the blade and grabbed onto it. After what felt like a century, Hedge cut through the rope on his hands and quickly cut the rope around his ankles. He slowly stood and stumbled towards Reyna.</p>
<p>As soon as Hedge cut into the rope, Reyna tore her arm from it. She grabbed the blade from Hedge and cut through the remaining rope. Reyna stood and stumbled slightly. She made it towards the door and looked at Hedge. After a small coughing fit, she managed to breathe without a burning pain. An attempt to whistle only ended with her coughing more.</p>
<p>Reyna cursed softly and closed her eyes. She could still hear Blackbeard's voice, and it sent chills down her spine. Reyna pressed her head against the wall and spoke, “It's not real. He's not here. He's dead.”</p>
<p>“Who's dead?” Hedge asked. Reyna slowly looked at the Faun and shook her head. She felt a burning pain in her hands and felt the world tilt beneath her. Reyna stumbled to the ground, but Hedge grabbed onto her. “Cupcake. Focus on me.”</p>
<p>Reyna closed her eyes tightly. She could smell the sea in the air, along with the smell of gunpowder. Reyna hit the wall in anger and tried to bring herself back to reality. Everything she was seeing and hearing weren't real. She wasn't back on Blackbeard's ship. She couldn't be.</p>
<p>“Reyna, can you hear me?” Hedge asked. After taking another deep breath, Reyna slowly looked at Hedge. Every time she blinked, the world around her changed. It would start in the room with Hedge, change to the deck of Blackbeard's ship as she helped raise sails, and end below deck with her trying to patch holes. The cycle would then start all over again. “You look ready to be sick.”</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Reyna muttered. She dug her thumb into her wounded wrist and allowed the pain to center her once again. Blackbeard's ship was in her past, and that was where it needed to stay. Reyna bit the gash on her lip and almost enjoyed the pain.</p>
<p>“Here,” Hedge said. He handed something to Reyna. She slowly looked down and saw the blade. After a moment, she shook her head and pushed the blade back into his hands. When she blinked again, the blade changed to a pirate cutlass.</p>
<p>“Find Chuck,” Reyna ordered. She met Hedge's eyes, and he took a step backwards. Reyna cursed and closed her eyes. “Find your son and leave. “I'm going to find Felika and make her pay.”</p>
<p>“I'm not leaving without you,” Hedge argued. Reyna shook her head and opened the door. She peeked out and saw they were in the middle of a hallway. A door on her far left slammed shut. Reyna stepped out into the hallway but felt a hand grab her arm. “Be safe.”</p>
<p>“I always am,” Reyna said. She looked at Hedge and nodded to him. “I'll see you in a few minutes. Go get Chuck and make sure he's safe.”</p>
<p>Hedge nodded and moved across the hallway. He opened the nearest door and peeked inside. Reyna turned away and stepped into the hallway. She felt the ground beneath her shift. Reyna stumbled into the wall and heard thunder. Her head pressed again the wall.</p>
<p>“It's not real,” Reyna said. She moved her thumb back to the wound on her wrist, before moving it down to her tattoo. Reyna rubbed her tattoo and found herself slowly calming down. After a few moments, she could blink without the world repeatedly changing. “It is not real.”</p>
<p>A door near her opened, and Reyna watched a man step into the hallway. She pushed off of the wall and slammed into him with all of her weight. They both tumbled into the room, and Reyna scrambled to her feet. She quickly took in the details of the room. There was a weapon rack only a few feet away from her, and thankfully, it held a few swords and javelins.</p>
<p>Reyna grabbed the javelin from the weapon rack and slammed the blunt end into the man's temple. He collapsed, and Reyna looked to her right. Felika was collapsed in a chair and seemed to be favoring her kneecap.</p>
<p>“No one is here to protect you,” Reyna hissed. She placed her finger to the celestial bronze tip of the javelin. “You're a monster, and you're going to die like one. You are never going to place a hand on Arria ever again.”</p>
<p>Reyna walked towards Felika and shoved the javelin under her chin. There was no fear in Felika's eyes. In fact, she just smiled. It caused Reyna's blood to boil, and she brought the javelin back. Reyna stabbed the javelin through Felika's heart.</p>
<p>Reyna was expecting blood and a look of surprise on Felika's face. Instead, all she received was a smile and a laugh. Felika spoke, “Didn't anyone tell you that I am a mortal?”</p>
<p>Felika spoke in an ancient language, and a force slammed into Reyna's chest. It threw her backwards, and Reyna hit the ground hard. She felt like a truck had hit her. Reyna quickly tried to sit up, but the tip of a javelin entered her vision.</p>
<p>“I've taken you a little too lightly, demigod. I won't make that mistake anymore,” Felika whispered. She pressed the javelin into Reyna's throat and knelt by her. Felika grabbed the box again and smiled coldly. Reyna tried to look for an opening, but if she moved, the javelin would tear her throat open.</p>
<p>“You'll make a good replacement. Unfortunately, many collectors don't want someone with such fight. I'm sure my little bird's master can break you, just like he did to her,” Felika whispered. Reyna glared angrily and felt her temper starting to boil over. “You really do have feelings for her, don't you? Why would you care for a worthless, useless waste of life?”</p>
<p>“I'm going to kill you,” Reyna promised. Felika smiled and twisted javelin slightly. Reyna couldn't stop the noise that she made, and it only made Felika's smile widen.</p>
<p>“She said that all the time, and do you know what I did to her?” Felika whispered. Reyna's fist clenched, but she saw a shadow appear over them. Reyna quickly grabbed onto the javelin with both hands, and Felika suddenly collapsed. Reyna slowly moved the javelin from her throat and dropped it to the ground.</p>
<p>Reyna rolled to the side and let out a shaky breath. She slowly looked up and saw Hedge. One hand held onto his club, and the other had a death grip on Chuck. Reyna let out another shaky breath and slowly got to her feet. Her hand moved to her throat, and she caught the blood that trickled from her wound.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Reyna began. She looked down at Felika and let out a deep breath. Hedge tossed her a bundle of rope. Reyna slowly looked at him. “I'm going to kill her, Hedge. She's made Arria's life a living hell. She's tortured her for years. Felika deserve to die.”</p>
<p>“Even if she does, it shouldn't be by your hand,” Hedge said. He placed a hand on Reyna's shoulder. “You're not that kind of person. If you were to kill her now, it would be in cold blood. Besides, she has to know a lot of information about other slavers. Think of how many lives you could save.”</p>
<p>Reyna placed her hand back to her throat and slowly grabbed onto the javelin. She could find a weapon that would kill the mortal, or she could just use her bare fists. Reyna closed her eyes and focused on Hedge's words. Why was he being the voice of reason?</p>
<p>Reyna dropped the javelin and grabbed the rope from the ground and tied Felika's arms behind her back. She used a bit of rope to cover Felika's mouth. Reyna took another deep breath and grabbed her watch from Felika's pocket. She slipped it onto her wrist and ignored the pain that it caused. Reyna picked Felika up and carried the mortal out of the room.</p>
<p>As Reyna stepped into the hallway, she stared at the unconscious men and women that littered the hallway. There were at least ten of them. Reyna slowly looked at Hedge. He just shrugged and ruffled Chuck's hair. Reyna allowed a smile to cross her face, and she followed Hedge down the hallway.</p>
<p>Hedge led her down the hallway and into a room that was by itself. He opened the door and motioned for Reyna to go first. She stepped into the room and found the exit was only a few feet from them. Reyna slammed into the door and stepped outside.</p>
<p>“Did you find the exit earlier?” Reyna asked. Hedge looked at her and nodded. He led her down the abandoned street. The moon was starting to peak through the clouds, and Reyna realized how long she had been unconscious. Frank would be freaking out, and he would probably give her another lecture. Reyna sighed and focused on her surroundings. “Thank you, Hedge. You saved my life.”</p>
<p>“I still owe you a few,” Hedge said. Reyna smirked and saw something move from the shadows. She turned and let out a sigh of relief. Arria stared at her and slowly looked at Felika. She took a step backwards.</p>
<p>“You're safe,” Nico said. He was right behind Arria, and he moved to Reyna's side. Reyna nodded slightly and looked at Nico. He didn't seem anymore hurt than she remembered. “What happened?”</p>
<p>“Hedge saved my life,” Reyna answered. She slowly laid Felika down and leaned against the wall. The events of the day were slowly catching up to her, and all she wanted to do was fall asleep right there. “How is the inquisitor?”</p>
<p>“She's in bad shape,” Nico replied. He looked down at the ground and sounded guilty. Reyna frowned and looked at him. She grabbed his arm and gave him a reassuring look. “Arria and I were just figuring out how to break inside.”</p>
<p>“We need to get out of here,” Arria interrupted. Her tone sounded pleading. When Reyna looked at Arria, she saw how pale her girlfriend's face was. It looked like she was having flashbacks. “Please.”</p>
<p>Reyna nodded and slowly grabbed Felika. She picked the mortal back up and followed Arria down the street. Nico fell in step behind her and spoke, “Arria told me this is the only base they have in America. She was having a panic attack but trying to hide it. What are you going to do about Felika?”</p>
<p>“Turn her over to the inquisitors, and from there, I can't imagine good things will happen to her,” Reyna responded. “Honestly, I wanted to kill her. Hedge convinced me not to.”</p>
<p>Nico nodded and nudged her. He spoke, “How embarrassing would it be if you had been rescued by a Greek? I would have never let you live it down.”</p>
<p>“Even worse, I was rescued by Hedge. He won't ever let me live this down,” Reyna joked. She glanced ahead and saw that Hedge was holding Chuck gently and talking to him. Reyna allowed a tired sigh to escape. Her muscles were starting to ache, and the mortal on her shoulders was only getting heavier by the second. “Are you okay?”</p>
<p>“I almost killed Nerva. I don't even know if she is going to make it,” Nico whispered. Reyna looked at him and nodded. Nico may have been a son of Hades, but he wasn't use to getting his hands dirty. There was a difference between using powers to release from life and using your own two hands.</p>
<p>“It wasn't your fault, Nico. It was that mist,” Reyna whispered. Nico glanced at her. “Arria told me about it before. She says you see things that aren't real. It pulls up some of your darkest memories and makes you relive them, or it brings up your greatest fears and regrets. Felika would give it to her slaves and then throw them in gladiator arenas. What happened isn't your fault.”</p>
<p>“It feels like it,” Nico whispered. Reyna nodded and grabbed his arm tightly. He looked at her and smiled sadly. Arria appeared at their side.</p>
<p>“He doesn't stop talking,” Arria muttered. She glanced at Felika and quickly looked away. “I'm sorry I dragged the two of you into this. I was trying to keep you safe.”</p>
<p>“Arria, you don't have to be alone anymore,” Nico said. Arria slowly looked at him. “I know how it feels. You think you're unwanted and won't belong anywhere. I was in your shoes before, and I can tell you that you are wanted. Reyna obviously cares about you, and I don't think that you're too bad either. It's hard, but you have to let your walls down.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Arria whispered. She shook her head. Reyna gently nudged her girlfriend. “It's just hard. I'm not used to having anyone to talk to, but I'll work on it. I know I ruined our last double date, but maybe, we can plan another one?”</p>
<p>“I can make time for that,” Nico said. Arria nodded slightly and allowed a small smile to come to her face, but when she looked back at Felika, the smile died. “She's not going to hurt you again. We won't let her.”</p>
<p>Arria nodded slightly, but she still kept a good distance from Reyna. It broke Reyna's heart to see how terrified Arria was, but it also filled her with rage. Part of wish she had ignored Hedge and killed Felika with her bare fist. The other part of her knew that she needed to keep her calm, hand Felika over to the inquisition, and let them go to work.</p>
<p>“We should head back to the Inquisition's base. They can handle your wounds and make sure the baby Faun is okay,” Arria began. Nico gave Reyna a look and seemed to pale. Reyna almost laughed at Nico's fear. Sure, the Inquisition was completely terrifying, but they had someone else to focus their rage on. “Or, we can head back to Camp Jupiter.”</p>
<p>“I can't believe that I am saying this, but we should head to the Inquisition's base,” Nico said. Reyna smiled and nudged him. Arria glanced at them and led the way through the streets. Reyna followed behind and allowed herself to take a deep breath. As she started to relax, pain started to settle in her shoulders. All she wanted to do was throw Felika in a cell, and hopefully, the mortal would spend the rest of her life there.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0044"><h2>44. Krypteia Part One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Should we go to a restaurant for our double date, or should we do it at one of the camps?” Nico asked. He tried to look at Reyna, but there was a armoire blocking his view. A hiss escaped his best friend, and she adjusted the armoire in her hands. It sounded like Reyna was doing everything in her power to keep the heavy armoire from crushing Nico. That was something he really appreciated.</p>
<p>“The Senate is going to have me check out a small town that's in Arizona,” Reyna replied. The two of them made it towards the top of the stairs and sat the armoire down. Nico let out a deep breath. He wasn't out of shape, but the armoire felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. In fact, it probably did. “It's official business, but if you guys happen to have business there as well, we can meet up. It shouldn't take to long for me to finish my business there.”</p>
<p>“What are you doing?” Nico asked. He looked around the top of the stairs. Percy's new bedroom was to their direct right, and it was next to a bathroom. Further down the hallway was Sally and Paul's room. Reyna grabbed onto the armoire, and Nico did as well. They both lifted the armoire and carried it down the hallway.</p>
<p>A third set of hands tried to help them, but Reyna said something that Nico didn't quite catch. He saw Sally step back and give both of them a kind smile. They walked the armoire into Sally's room and sat it against the wall.</p>
<p>“You two should have waited for the dolly,” Sally began. Reyna shrugged and didn't seem too concerned. Sally crossed her arms and focused her gaze on Reyna. “They told me how you like to overwork yourself.”</p>
<p>“Those are unfounded lies,” Reyna said. She smiled at Sally but poked Nico hard in the ribs with her elbow. She also shot him a look. Sally tried to look serious, but there was a smile on her face. “Besides, I have been taking it pretty easy all week.”</p>
<p>“We were pretty busy last night,” Arria commented. She sounded right next to Nico's ear, and he couldn't resist the urge to jump. Nico whirled around and stared at Arria. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Reyna had turned a shade of red.</p>
<p>“All we did was going through letters and spar,” Reyna began. Arria gave her a look and raised her eyebrows. Reyna looked more embarrassed than before, if that was even possible. “You're sleeping with the other ambassadors tonight.”</p>
<p>Nico sighed and tried to relax his beating heart. He absolutely hated that Arria was just able to sneak up on him like that. Was that how others felt when he did that to them? If so, Arria really needed to stop doing that.</p>
<p>“We're all going to take a break and order pizza,” Sally said. She handed a menu towards Nico. “Let me know what you guys would like. I can order a pizza for each of you. Poseidon knows that Percy will devour one pizza by himself.”</p>
<p>“I'm still growing,” Percy protested. He peeked his head into the room and gave his mother a look. Sally simply laughed.</p>
<p>“You haven't fit into your big boy pants yet?” Reyna questioned. Percy glared at her. Reyna smirked and glanced at Nico. He returned the look and then looked down at the menu. There was a plethora of choices, and if Nico was being honest, he would take whatever pizza was offered. He handed the menu to Arria.</p>
<p>“I'm fine with whatever,” Arria began. She handed the menu off to Reyna. Out of the corner of his eye, Nico could see that Sally was studying Arria. “I have to send a message. I'll be outside, if anyone needs me.”</p>
<p>“Be careful. The pigeons are real crazy here,” Reyna warned. Nico nodded his agreement. Arria smirked, but upon realizing that they were serious, a frown came to her face. She placed a hand to her sword and left the room.</p>
<p>Reyna glanced at Sally. The praetor spoke, “Is it true that Percy burned down your old house? Annabeth was too busy laughing to explain everything.”</p>
<p>“There was an incident with a Cyclops. I don't think Percy would want me to share it,” Sally began. She winked at Reyna and then walked towards the door. Sally peeked out and then looked back at them. “I think he went downstairs. A Cyclops picked up a car and threw it at the house, in an attempt to get Percy. Thankfully, Paul and I weren't home, but it was an unpleasant surprise to come home to.”</p>
<p>“I've destroyed a few building like that. Do you remember that one gas station?” Reyna asked. She looked back at Nico. The son of Hades nodded and winced. He remembered almost getting decapitated by the car the Cyclops had thrown at him, and then, it had tried to flatten him with a street sign.</p>
<p>“You're so funny,” Nico said. Reyna smirked and glanced back at the menu. Nico stepped out of the room and walked down the stairs. He made a right at the bottom of the stairs and walked towards the kitchen. His water was nowhere in sight, so he must have left it in the car.</p>
<p>Nico sighed and walked out of the house. He made his way towards the car but heard talking. Nico turned his head and frowned. The street they were on was full of houses, but there was an alley way between each house. Curiosity caused him to glance into the alleyway closest to him.</p>
<p>Arria was leaning against the alley wall and staring at the Iris message in front of her. She shook her head and spoke, “I haven't forgotten my mission. You act as if I am a child.”</p>
<p>“You are a child, girl,” the man in the Iris message sneered. Nico frowned. They weren't speaking English, but he understood it perfectly. There was only one other language that he just knew, but why would a Roman be speaking in ancient Greek? “You were given a lifetime of training in two years. Even with your recommendations, we shouldn't have taken you in.”</p>
<p>“Queen Hylla is being watched. Don't worry about that,” Arria said. She shook her head and turned her head. Nico threw himself against the wall and out of sight. After a moment, he glanced back into the alleyway. “I have things under control.”</p>
<p>“I've heard rumors about your relationship with the younger sister, and you must not allow those feelings to cloud your judgment. Do not ruin this,” the man warned. “Or, I will reconsider allowing you to join the Krypteia. Have I made myself clear?”</p>
<p>“Crystal,” Arria replied. The Iris message dissolved, and Arria let out a deep breath. She leaned against the wall and stared up at the sky. Nico stared at Arria. The word krypteia sounded familiar, but he didn't know what it was.</p>
<p>After a moment, Nico pushed himself off of the wall and hurried back into the house. He looked around and found that Annabeth and Reyna were deep in conversation about the next game of capture the flag. Nico slowly walked towards them. Should he just tell Reyna what he had heard? Would she even believe him?</p>
<p>“Look, I just don't want to beat you again. You might cry or something,” Reyna teased. She looked at Nico and lost her smile. “You look shocked. What's wrong?”</p>
<p>“I'm not shocked,” Nico lied. He looked at Annabeth, who gave him a concerned look. Reyna frowned. “I just almost got attacked by a pigeon. All I wanted was to get my water, and they descended like vultures.”</p>
<p>Reyna laughed and tossed a bottle of water towards Nico. He caught it and smiled slightly. As Nico drank from the bottle of water, he debated on how to ask his question. Nico sighed and decided to get it over with. He spoke, “What's a krypteia?”</p>
<p>Annabeth stopped what she was doing and looked at Nico in surprise. Reyna's face turned into a scowl, and she crossed her arms. Annabeth glanced between them and spoke, “Well, the Krypteia are a group of Spartan spies. They're hardcore with the old Greek ways and don't really like Camp Half-Blood. We're too soft for them.”</p>
<p>“They hate Romans,” Reyna added. She rubbed her elbow and seemed to be lost in thought. “I ran into one of them with Jason. The man was the leader of the Krypteia and pretty much wiped the floor with us. Jason's lightning gave us enough time to get away.”</p>
<p>“I've ran into one before, but they didn't attack us,” Annabeth said. Nico frowned and looked down. Arria was a member of the Krypteia, and she was keeping an eye on Hylla. Why? How could he tell Reyna that his girlfriend was part of a group that hated Romans? Was Arria just using Reyna? “Why are you wondering about them.”</p>
<p>Nico opened his mouth to answer, despite the fact that he didn't have a reason. He was saved by Arria walking into the room. Arria glanced at Nico and spoke, “Son of Hades, can I speak to you, alone?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Nico began. He tried to maintain a look of calm, but his eyes shot to Annabeth. The daughter of Athena looked at him and frowned. Arria led Nico away from the kitchen and towards an empty room at the far end of the house. They stepped into the room, and Arria focused her gaze on Nico.</p>
<p>“Whatever you're thinking is wrong,” Arria said. Nico slowly looked up at Arria. She looked down at him and crossed her arms. “Whatever you think you heard is wrong, son of Pluto. Just leave it.”</p>
<p>“If you hurt Reyna, I swear to all of the gods that I will hunt you to the ends of the earth,” Nico said. Arria's eyes narrowed in confusion. Nico straightened up and clenched his fist. “Understood?”</p>
<p>“I think we have a misunderstanding here. I would never hurt Reyna,” Arria said. She took a deep breath and looked down. “Alright. You obviously heard something wrong.”</p>
<p>“I didn't hear anything wrong. I just don't understand it. The one thing I do understand is that you are a Krypteia, and they hate Romans,” Nico said. Arria crossed her arms and looked at the ground. “I'm open to an explanation.”</p>
<p>Arria stared at the ground. Her eyes flickered to the sky, and she nodded slightly. Arria spoke, “My lady is calling. You can tell Reyna that I will be back to help her with that town in Arizona. Do not tell this to Annabeth, for Reyna's sake.”</p>
<p>Nico frowned and watched Arria leave the room. He looked down at the ground and tried to think. If he didn't tell Reyna, he felt like he was betraying her trust. At the same time, how could he tell his best friend that her girlfriend was part of a group that hated Romans and was keeping an eye on her sister Nico sighed. He couldn't keep it to himself.</p>
<p>Nico walked out of the room and back towards the kitchen. Arria had Reyna pinned to the fridge and was kissing her. Arria pulled away and spoke, “Your mother has an assignment for me. I'll be back as soon as I can be. Sorry.”</p>
<p>“Just stay safe,” Reyna said. She smiled and kissed Arria again. After a moment, Arria pulled away and disappeared from sight. Reyna smiled again, and it took her a few moments to realize that Nico was in the same room as her. She looked at him. “Are you okay? You seem pretty upset. What's going on?”</p>
<p>“We need to talk,” Nico began. Reyna frowned and pushed herself off of the fridge. “You might want to sit down though.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0045"><h2>45. Krypteia Part Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I feel terrible,” Nico began. He laid back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. “I told Reyna that her girlfriend is a Krypteia. After I told her, she said she needed time alone and left Sally's house. I haven't seen her for a week. Now, I'm sitting in her house and waiting for her to get done with meetings. Gods, I broke into her house, and now, I'm talking to myself.”</p>
<p>Nico sighed tiredly and glanced to his right. Aurum was curled up by the door. He was missing a chunk of his hind leg, but it seemed to be slowly growing back. Argentum was nowhere in the house, so he had to be with his owner. Nico closed his eyes.</p>
<p>No one at Camp Jupiter had seemed to notice that Reyna acting differently, and Nico couldn't just outright ask anyone. If he did, they would want to know what happened, and Nico knew that Reyna wouldn't want others to know about her relationship. That left him wondering what was happening and did nothing to help his worry.</p>
<p>Reyna wouldn't even answer his messages. All Nico could do was worry about his best friend. A deep sigh escaped Nico. All he had to do was wait for Reyna to come home, in Reyna's house, and she didn't know about it. He was going to get a javelin thrown at him.</p>
<p>“Really should have warned Reyna that I was going to be in her house. Her nerves are going to be frayed enough anyway,” Nico muttered. He sat up. The front door open, and Nico turned his head. Aurum jumped to his feet and backed away. Argentum darted inside the house and joined his brother's side.</p>
<p>“We have two minutes,” Reyna said. It sounded like she was right outside the door. Nico heard the sound of laughing, and then, he heard the sound of kissing. A frown came to his face. There was no way that Reyna had rebounded that quickly, had she?</p>
<p>“I only need one,” Arria said. She stepped into the house. Upon seeing Nico, a frown came to her face. Reyna stepped behind her and pulled Arria close. She kissed her neck. When Arria didn't react, Reyna's eyes flickered up.</p>
<p>Nico met Reyna's eyes, and he could feel that his mouth was open in shock. He quickly closed it and cleared his throat. Reyna pulled away from Arria and spoke, “Why don't you get changed? I'll meet you outside after I talk to Nico.”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Arria said. She glanced at Reyna and kissed her. Reyna kissed Arria back and pulled away from her. Arria glanced at Nico, and she walked into Reyna's room. Nico barely resisted the urge to glare. Annabeth had told him plenty about the Krypteia, and none of it was good.</p>
<p>“Why are you in my house?” Reyna asked. She glanced at Nico and knelt by her dogs. She scratched their heads and smiled at them. “It's not that I don't want to see you, but I only have like two minutes of free time.”</p>
<p>“Arria's still here,” Nico began. He frowned. Nico assumed that Reyna would have broken up with Arria or confronted her, but it looked like nothing had happened. There was no way that Reyna would take the information lightly. “You haven't responded to any of my messages. What's going on?”</p>
<p>“I've been busy, Nico. I haven't been ignoring you,” Reyna said. She glanced at her bedroom and then walked closer to Nico. “I needed some time alone, and I had to visit that town. Everything went great, by the way. I didn't dislocate anything or have a nice chunk taken out of my arm.”</p>
<p>“What did you dislocate?” Nico asked. His eyes moved to examine Reyna, and he noticed how she was favoring her left shoulder. She wasn't wearing a full set of armor. Well, she wasn't wearing any armor. A bandage was peeking out from her sleeve. “Wait. Chunk? Are you okay?”</p>
<p>“I'm fine,” Reyna muttered. She sighed and sat down by Nico. “I just needed a few rabies shots. Why are you in my house though?”</p>
<p>“You were pretty upset when you left Sally's house, and you haven't said anything to me,” Nico began. Reyna glanced at him. There were bags under her eyes, and she seemed to be exhausted. “What are you going to do about Arria?”</p>
<p>“Nico, I really don't want to talk about this right now. Hell, I don't want to deal with anything right now. All I want to do is curl up in a bed and fall asleep,” Reyna muttered. Nico stared up at his best friend. Obviously, he was still in his cabin asleep and dreaming. Reyna was acting like she hadn't heard anything that Nico had told her.</p>
<p>Arria stepped back into the living room. For once, she wasn't wearing her armor. Instead, she was wearing a sleeveless jacket over a black shirt and shorts. Nico tilted his head. He wasn't great at fashion himself, but someone needed to give Arria lessons.</p>
<p>Arria still had her sword on her hip and a javelin on her back. Reyna grabbed a backpack from the couch and slung it over her shoulder. Nico spoke, “Where are you two going?”</p>
<p>“We have a dinner meeting,” Arria answered. Nico looked at Reyna and Arria. They both acted as nothing had happened. How could Reyna just act like nothing was going on? Was she just ignoring the truth?</p>
<p>“I need to talk to Reyna, alone. We'll only be a minute or two,” Nico said. Arria glanced at Reyna, and after a moment, the praetor nodded. Arria returned the nod and stepped out of the house. Reyna looked at Nico and sighed.</p>
<p>“Nico, I am not in the mood for this. Can we just leave this alone?” Reyna asked. She laid back on the couch and groaned in pain. “I got like two hours of sleep last night. My arm is killing me, and my head hurts.”</p>
<p>“You're ignoring what Arria is,” Nico began. Reyna rolled her eyes and stared at the ceiling. “She's part of the Krypteia, Reyna. They hate Romans and every Greek that isn't pure-blooded Spartan. How did Arria even join them? Why are you ignoring this? Are you trying to save your feelings?”</p>
<p>The words left Nico's mouth, and all he wanted to do was grab onto them and shove them back in. Reyna looked at Nico and slowly sat up. Her gaze focused on Nico, and her eyes narrowed into a glare. Reyna slowly stood and clenched her fist.</p>
<p>“Don't you ever dare tell me that I am trying to save my feelings,” Reyna hissed. Nico looked down and tried to speak. Reyna shoved past him. “I don't need anyone to lecture me about my choices. I know what I'm doing.”</p>
<p>“Reyna, you need to listen to yourself. Arria has you wrapped around her finger. Annabeth told me that the Krypteia know how to manipulate people,” Nico said quickly. Reyna turned towards him and took a deep breath. “Annabeth said that Arria could be using the same tricks that Felika uses.”</p>
<p>“That's enough,” Reyna snapped. She turned towards Nico and glared. Reyna took a few deep breaths. “You don't know what you're talking about, Nico. Leave it alone. Now.”</p>
<p>The door behind them opened, and Reyna slowly turned her head. Annabeth walked into the house and glanced behind her. She had a questioning look on her face. Annabeth spoke, “I saw Arria was outside.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, she is,” Reyna said angrily. “And, why are you even here? The Senate doesn't need you for anything, ambassador. Also, why does everyone think they can just walk into my house? There's a door for a reason.”</p>
<p>Annabeth opened her mouth and then closed it. She finally nodded and watched Reyna. The praetor looked at the two of them. Reyna spoke, “Annabeth, you've hated Arria since day one. She hasn't done anything to you.”</p>
<p>“She's the reason for the Banshee,” Annabeth said. Reyna looked at them in confusion. Her eyes were still narrowed into a glare. “That man just wanted revenge for his family. We stopped him from killing Arria, but she's a monster.”</p>
<p>Reyna took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She spoke, “For being a daughter of Athena, you don't know a damn thing, Annabeth. Stop talking about Arria like that. You don't know about anything she's been through.”</p>
<p>“Reyna, listen to me,” Annabeth said. She moved closer to Reyna. “You are being manipulated by Arria. Think about it. Arria knows Felika's magic, and Nico told me how it gets in your head. Arria is a Roman in the Krypteia. She is a master of manipulation to be able to pull that off, and you're under her spell.”</p>
<p>“Shut the fuck up,” Reyna said. Nico looked at Reyna in surprise. His best friend turned and stormed out of the house. The door slammed shut behind her. Nico let out a deep breath. That was definitely not how he imagined the talk going, and he had never seen Reyna that upset. She had never been upset enough to talk to her friends like that.</p>
<p>Annabeth sighed sadly and sat on the couch. Nico sat by her and stared at the ground. He spoke, “Reyna isn't listening to a word that I say. I don't know what to do, Annabeth.”</p>
<p>“Let her cool down,” Annabeth said. She glanced around the house. “We'll figure this out. This might be something we have to bring to Lupa. Where would the wolf even be?”</p>
<p>“I'm sure one of the Romans could tell us. Chiron might be able to as well,” Nico said. He stood and started to walk towards the door. A metallic dog appeared in front of him, and Nico tripped right over Aurum. He stumbled into the table near the couch and knocked over half of the items that were on it. “Reyna's really going to kill me now.”</p>
<p>“I don't think you can make her anymore mad than I already have,” Annabeth commented. Nico smiled slightly and knelt by the fallen items. He grabbed a few of the files and glanced at Aurum. The dog was giving him a side glare.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Nico began. He grabbed a box from the ground and looked down at him. The small, black box felt like it was made of leather. Nico had seen a few boxes like it, in romance movies. Annabeth was eyeing the box as well, but it couldn't be what they were thinking it was.</p>
<p>Nico opened the box, and he stared down at the diamond ring that was inside of the box. He blinked a few times and then looked up at Annabeth. The daughter of Athena was staring at the box, and her mouth was wide open. Nico looked back down at the diamond ring.</p>
<p>“That's an engagement ring,” Annabeth said. Nico closed the box and set it back on the table. He couldn't even believe what he was seeing. What in Hades' name was Reyna thinking? Why was she going to propose to Arria?</p>
<p>Reyna was only seventeen years old. She was too young to be getting married. How did she even manage to afford a diamond engagement ring? It had to be a part of the manipulation, right? Reyna couldn't have fallen that hard for Arria.</p>
<p>“This is bad,” Nico said. He looked back at the box and then placed his face into his hands. Nico slowly looked up at Annabeth. She slowly looked at him. “This is really bad.”</p>
<p>“Reyna can't propose without the ring, so she won't do it tonight,” Annabeth began. She looked down. “Well, we might be wrong. This could be the wedding ring, and Reyna already has the engagement ring on her.”</p>
<p>“We have to find them,” Nico said. He looked down. Aurum had curled up by the table, and Argentum was by his side. Argentum looked up at Nico and stood. He moved to Nico's side and rested against his legs. “I can get metal treats for both of you. First, we have to find Reyna and keep her from making a huge mistake.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0046"><h2>46. The Proposal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As far as Nico knew, the children of Athena were supposed to be smart. They were supposed to come up with genius plans that had no flaws. As Nico looked around the restaurant that they were in, he realized that children of Athena didn't always come up with the best of plans. In fact, they could come up with very terrible plans.</p>
<p>“This is the worst idea that I have ever heard, and I have spent plenty of time with Percy,” Nico hissed. He glared at Annabeth, who only smiled and glanced out into the restaurant. After a moment, Nico did as well. The restaurant was completely packed, but it wasn't too hard to pick out where Arria was sitting, thanks to the javelin on her back.</p>
<p>“If it's such a terrible plan, you wouldn't be going for it,” Annabeth whispered. She handed an earbud to Nico. After a moment, he placed it into his ear and moved closer to Annabeth. “Besides, you're the one who is acting weirdly. The Mist will keep our cover.”</p>
<p>Nico resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and he looked back through the window. Arria was sitting back in a chair and staring down at the menu. She was sitting at a table by herself, and there were three other empty chairs at the table. Nico glanced around for Reyna, but he couldn't see her anywhere.</p>
<p>Annabeth glanced at Nico and played around on her phone. After a few moments, Nico could hear mumbled conversations coming from the earbuds. Annabeth spoke, “Leo invented a new listening device to use for capture the flag. I asked if I could test it out, and I slipped it into Arria's pocket. Don't tell Reyna though. This is my surprise for the capture the flag.”</p>
<p>“Capture the flag is the exact reason that I am going to keep this quiet,” Nico said. He met Annabeth's eyes. “It's definitely not because Reyna would actually kill us if she knew we were spying on her. She's mad enough as is.”</p>
<p>“We both know Reyna can't control her emotions right now. Arria is playing her like a fiddle,” Annabeth said. She crossed her arms. Nico sighed and shook his head. He glanced down at the phone, but it had a blank screen. He didn't even know if it was working.</p>
<p>“This is like a cheater show then?” One of the waitresses asked. She was holding a tray of food. Nico glanced at Annabeth, but he realized the waitress was staring right at him. “Same thing happened to my brother. He thought he found the perfect girl, but it turns out that she was the one who found the perfect girl: his cousin. It was a whole ordeal. I wish we had cameras for it.”</p>
<p>“That's not,” Nico began. Annabeth elbowed him right in the ribs. Nico glared at her. Annabeth gave him a look, and Nico returned it. “That's not exactly what is happening.”</p>
<p>“Sure,” the waitress began. She smiled and walked out of the kitchen. Nico elbowed Annabeth back and gave her a look. Annabeth returned it.</p>
<p>“This is crazy,” Nico hissed. He glanced around and moved closer to Annabeth. It felt like they were going to get busted at any moment. Nico was praying that Argentum wouldn't find his owner. In fact, he didn't even know where the metallic dog was. “How could you lie to the restaurant that we are part of a reality show? We don't even have cameras!”</p>
<p>“The Mist has us covered,” Annabeth insisted. She suddenly glanced at the window that led out to the tables. Nico looked at the table as well. A man had made his way over to Arria and seemed to be talking to her. Annabeth quickly messed with her phone.</p>
<p>Nico frowned and looked at the man that was sitting by Arria. The man had black hair and what looked like a light color of eyes. His arms were covered in tattoos that seemed to be similar to Arria's, but Nico couldn't make out the details from the distance they were at.</p>
<p>“Belen, you are late. You were supposed to be here five minutes ago,” Arria said. Her voice came through clearly on the earbuds. Nico adjusted the earpiece and focused on the words. His eyes glanced back at the window. Who was this man? Was he part of the Krypteia?</p>
<p>Arria and Belen were facing the door that led to the kitchen, but thankfully, they seemed more focused on each other than anyone else. The two probably couldn't see Annabeth and Nico, but Nico didn't want to take the chance.</p>
<p>“Things were running slightly behind schedule,” Belen said. He slowly pulled off his coat and placed it onto the chair. He was wearing a full set of Greek armor. “Besides, I'm sure you have been pretty busy with your girlfriend. You've been spending a lot of time with her.”</p>
<p>“I've been doing my job,” Arria said. Nico found himself glaring. Why was spending time with Reyna part of Arria's job? Was she really just using Reyna and didn't have any feelings for her? Arria sighed and glanced around the restaurant.</p>
<p>“You've been doing someone alright,” Belen said. Arria looked at him, and even though they were across the restaurant, Nico could see that her eyes were wide. “Oh, things do get to you. Are you blushing right now?”</p>
<p>“Shut up,” Arria muttered. She buried her face in the menu. Belen looked like he was going to say more. Instead, he looked around the restaurant. “You need to be more serious. We only have one shot at this.”</p>
<p>“Hey, I know who got me here. I appreciate it, and I will be serious, when it is time,” Belen said. Nico frowned. This wasn't the same man from the Iris message. He didn't get a chance to get a good look at the Iris message, but the voice was nowhere near the same. “Besides, you're the one who is off their game. Those Greeks at Camp Half-Blood have gotten under your skin.”</p>
<p>“The only person under my skin here is you,” Arria muttered. She looked down at the menu and sighed deeply. “And that daughter of Athena. It doesn't matter what I do. Annabeth Chase always finds another reason to not like me. I can't even get a read on Nico.”</p>
<p>Arria sighed and rested her face in her hands. Belen studied her and spoke, “Is it jealousy? I know you said that they both have boyfriends, but there could always be a hint of jealousy there.”</p>
<p>“No. Annabeth recognized one of my tattoos,” Arria muttered. She rubbed her arm. “She knows I killed one of my family, but she doesn't know the full story. She hasn't even bothered to ask me.”</p>
<p>“Only one?” Belen questioned. He seemed to laugh to himself. Arria glanced at him and then looked back down at her arm. She traced one of her tattoos. “I could have sworn you had a few more, or was that Jared?”</p>
<p>“It's Jared. I don't even know anyone else in my family,” Arria muttered. A waitress stopped by them and placed drinks in front of them. Nico frowned and counted four drinks. The fourth person had to be another member of the Krypteia.</p>
<p>“Mr. Hill, I'm surprised your father is allowing a television show to film here,” the waitress began. Belen was playing with his straw, but as soon as the waitress said the words, he looked up and stared at her. A smile seemed to come to his face, and he leaned back in his chair.</p>
<p>“I was surprised when I heard that too. I still can't believe that he would allow anyone near the restaurant that has anything to do with the media,” Belen said. He glanced at Arria. “Are the producers around by chance?”</p>
<p>“They're in the kitchen,” the waitress answered. Nico's eyes widened. He looked at Annabeth. Her eyes were wide as well. They both seemed to share the common thought that they needed to get out of sight. “They both seem kind of young to be producers.”</p>
<p>The kitchen was about a thirty foot walk from the table. There was a side exit near the kitchen, so they would be able to escape before someone reached the kitchen. Nico met Annabeth's eyes and nodded. He turned around, and his heart jumped to his throat.</p>
<p>“What in Bellona's name are you two doing?” Reyna demanded. Her eyes moved from Nico to Annabeth. Then, her eyes focused on the phone in Annabeth's hand. “I'm going to ask one more time. What are the two of you doing?”</p>
<p>Nico's mouth opened, but no words came out. This was the last thing he wanted to happen. Nico had just been following Annabeth's plan, but something told him that Annabeth didn't plan for this. Reyna crossed her arms and was watching the two of them with a scowl.</p>
<p>“You can't propose to Arria. She has you wrapped around her finger,” Annabeth began. Reyna's look was a mix of absolute fury and confusion. She seemed to settle on anger and cursed at them in Latin. “I know she's using Felika's magic against you. You can't think straight. That's why you were going to propose.”</p>
<p>“We found the ring,” Nico began. He looked at Reyna. Her look of anger was turning back to confusion. “You can't propose to Arria. You're too young, Reyna. You've only been dating for a short time. There are a million other reasons that you can't get married.”</p>
<p>“Hold on. Are you talking about the diamond ring on my table?” Reyna asked. Despite the anger in her eyes, her voice was deadly calm. It did nothing to make Nico feel better. He had heard her use that tone of voice before, and it never meant anything good. Nico finally nodded. “That diamond ring belongs to Hylla! She's going to propose to Kinzie, but she can't exactly keep the ring in the room that she shares with her girlfriend!”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Nico said. Reyna closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She finally placed a hand on her face and seemed to count backward from ten. “We're just concerned about you, Reyna.”</p>
<p>“I know Arria better than you two,” Reyna said softly. “I know what she is and isn't. Why can't you two stop worrying about me? I finally found someone who cares about me, and all you two can do is question her at every turn.”</p>
<p>“It doesn't help that we know nothing about her,” Annabeth said. She stood in front of Nico as if to block Nico from Reyna's anger. “All I know about Arria is that she is a murderer. She's a Roman in the Krypteia.”</p>
<p>“I'm not a Roman,” Arria said. Nico whirled around and looked at Arria. This was not how he imagined any of this going. Arria glanced at them and leaned on the wall. Belen was standing behind Arria and guarding the door. His eyes studied all of them.</p>
<p>I'm an agent of Bellona, but my father is a Greek god,” Arria said. She took a deep breath and looked directly at Annabeth. “I would never use Felika's magic against anyone. You can't understand how that messes with your head. I could never do that to another person. Annabeth, do you want to know why I received this mark and why I killed my mother?”</p>
<p>“Arria, you don't have to,” Reyna began. Arria shook her head slightly and kept her eyes focused on Annabeth. The daughter of Athena stared back at her. Nico almost expected the two to stare a hole into each other. After a few moments, Arria finally looked down.</p>
<p>“My mother sold me into slavery,” Arria said. Nico's eyes widened. He slowly looked at Arria. Annabeth stared at Arria, and she seemed to be thinking of a response. “My mother seduced a god and gave me away to slavers.”</p>
<p>Arria tried to say more, but her voice gave out on her. Nico saw tears appear in Arria's eyes, and she turned away. Arria stormed out of the kitchen. Reyna shoved past Nico and followed after her girlfriend. Belen watched the scene and shook his head.</p>
<p>“Gods, I need to apologize,” Annabeth said. She sighed tiredly and took a deep breath. “I've been so worried about what Arria was that I didn't bother to ask her about herself. I doubt Reyna is going to forgive me for this.”</p>
<p>“It could always be worse. I know that Reyna is going to kill me,” Nico said. He sighed and leaned against the wall. His eyes moved towards Belen, who had yet to move. Belen gave them a small nod. “You're a member of the Krypteia too, right?”</p>
<p>“Actually, I'm the leader of the Krypteia,” Belen answered. He glanced at his watch. “Well, I will be soon. It just depends on how long it takes for the old man to run out of oxygen. I wanted to burn the casket, but Arria told me it was better to wrap a chain around the casket and bury it in a ditch. The others agreed with her, but I still think my way is more fun. You two are Camp Half-Blood, right?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Nico said. He heard a noise behind him and turned. As if the day couldn't get any worse, he saw the queen of the Amazons was standing behind them. Nico let out a deep sigh. This was great. Hylla was going to yell at him too.</p>
<p>“Why are you two here?” Hylla asked. Kinzie appeared behind her Hylla and leaned on her girlfriend. Annabeth exchanged a look with Nico, and the only thing the son of Hades could do was shake his head. They couldn't tell Hylla exactly why they were there, since the whole engagement ring was supposed to be a surprise. “What did you two ruin this time?”</p>
<p>“Chiron asked for an emissary from Camp Half-Blood,” Belen said. He glanced at Hylla and smiled. “I guess Chiron was worried about you and doesn't completely trust the Krypteia, so he wanted someone to make sure the meeting went well. Is this your lovely girlfriend?”</p>
<p>Belen grabbed Kinzie's hand and gently kissed it. Kinzie exchanged a look with Hylla, but she smirked as Belen started to give her a tour of the kitchen. Hylla raised an eyebrow and turned towards Nico. She crossed her arms.</p>
<p>“We found the ring,” Annabeth whispered. Hylla quickly glanced behind her, but Kinzie was already being led out to the dining room. The sounds of the kitchen seemed to mask their whispering. “I thought Arria was using Felika's magic to have Reyna wrapped around her finger. I saw the ring and thought that Reyna was going to propose.”</p>
<p>“You didn't share your theory with Reyna, right?” Hylla asked. Annabeth looked down. Nico winced as Hylla turned her gaze on him. He knew that they had messed up terribly. “Okay. Just tell me you guys didn't come here to break up the engagement. Belen was telling the truth, right?”</p>
<p>“Not really,” Nico began. He shifted awkwardly. “We came here to spy on them and break it up. Reyna found us and told us that the ring belonged to you. Arria then told us why she killed her mom. Don't give me that look. I know how bad we screwed up.”</p>
<p>Hylla's eyes were narrowed into a glare, but after a few moments, she sighed and looked down. Hylla spoke, “I'm going to seal this alliance with the Krypteia, and then, I'm going to find my sister. You two should lay low for the next couple of days. Otherwise, Reyna might actually kill you two.”</p>
<p>“I'm a terrible friend,” Annabeth decided. She slumped against the wall and sighed tiredly. Nico looked down. The whole situation didn't make him trust Arria anymore than before, but at the same time, he probably should have kept an open mind or even just asked Arria about herself.</p>
<p>“I guess we both are,” Nico agreed. Hylla glanced at the two of them and rolled her eyes. She turned and walked out of the kitchen. Nico sighed and looked at Annabeth. “I have no clue how we're going to fix this.”</p>
<p>“We'll have to give it a few days, like Hylla said,” Annabeth replied. She sighed. “After that, we'll get some cookies from Sally and go to Camp Jupiter. We apologize to Reyna and Arria. I then apologize to Arria profusely and try to trust her a little more.”</p>
<p>Nico nodded and sighed. All he wanted to do was hunt down Reyna and apologize to her, but he knew it wouldn't end well. Nico had to be patient, which was the last thing that he wanted to do. His eyes moved down to Annabeth's phone. How mad was Reyna going to be when they told her about the bug, or should they just not tell her?</p>
<p>“I'm going back to Camp Half-Blood. I'll probably be in my cabin and staring at the wall for the next week,” Nico decided. Annabeth nodded her agreement. Nico turned and walked from the kitchen. He tried to find a bright side to the day, but there wasn't any. Reyna probably hated him, and if he was being honest, Nico hated himself at the moment.</p>
<p>When Nico was younger, he always worried about how Camp Half-Blood would perceive him. No one would accept someone like him. Now, he was treating Arria the same way, without giving her a chance. Nico looked down at the ground and felt ten times worse. He would apologize to Arria, but first, he would just have to give them time to calm down.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0047"><h2>47. An Unexpected Kiss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Stupid. Greeks. Can't. Mind. Their. Own. Business,” Reyna growled. Each word was followed by a brutal punch to a training dummy. Reyna turned away and grabbed her javelin. She threw it at a training dummy and started to pace around. “Why can't they just mind their own damn business? Why in Bellona's name do they have to ruin everything?”</p>
<p>Words failed Reyna, and she punched the dummy once again. Pain started to spread throughout her knuckles, and she began to pace back and forth. Punching things wasn't helping, and she was starting to exceed Camp Jupiter's budget for training dummies. Reyna settled on picking up one of the dummies and throwing it at another one.</p>
<p>“I haven't seen you this mad in a long time,” Jason commented. Reyna took a deep breath and slowly turned towards her former best friend. Jason walked towards her and looked around. “You looked ready to throttle Frank during that Senate meeting, even more than you normally do. What's going on?”</p>
<p>“Nothing,” Reyna muttered. She slowly picked up the training dummies that she had knocked over. As her hand grabbed onto her javelin. She had to resist the urge to throw it at another dummy. Reyna flipped her javelin into a sword. “Just leave me alone.”</p>
<p>“Yeah. I've been doing that for a while,” Jason said. The sound of footsteps getting louder told Reyna that Jason was not walking away. Why wasn't he walking away? “We were the best of friends Reyna. Now, you don't even talk to me.”</p>
<p>“You're an asshole, Jason. That's why,” Reyna snapped. She turned towards Jason and slammed her finger into his chest. “I was just too clouded by my emotions to see that. I can't believe I had a crush on you, and you just threw that back in my face. That hurt, Jason, and you don't even seem to realize that.”</p>
<p>“I thought we were over this,” Jason began. Reyna glared at him and started to walk away. “Hey. We need to talk, Reyna. I miss our friendship. We use to be unstoppable. Ever since I went to Camp Half-Blood, you've been acting differently.”</p>
<p>“Because you slapped your relationship with Piper in my face!” Reyna yelled. She didn't bother to turn her sword into a javelin. She just threw it at the nearest training dummy. “Venus was right about you! She warned me that I couldn't have a relationship with you. I should have listened.”</p>
<p>“I didn't have my memory, Reyna. I remembered your name, but I didn't remember anything about our relationship. I'm sorry,” Jason said. Reyna had a finger raised and was ready to jab it back into Jason's chest. Instead, she lowered it. “I'm sorry, Reyna. I haven't said that yet.”</p>
<p>“Don't apologize now. I need someone to yell at,” Reyna muttered. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After opening her eyes, she saw Jason was holding her sword out to her. Reyna grabbed onto it and took a minute to calm her thoughts. “I'm sorry too, Jason. It wasn't fair of me to not talk to you about this. I just let it fester inside.”</p>
<p>“You're good about that. Well, we both are,” Jason said. He examined his sword and nodded to Reyna. After a moment, Reyna attacked Jason. He parried her attack and thrust his sword forward. Reyna dodged the attack and focused on the fight.</p>
<p>For the next few minutes, Reyna and Jason were evenly matched. Jason had taken on a lot more Greek style into his fighting. He had managed to combine the Greek and Roman styles pretty well, and it made an interesting challenge for Reyna. She was starting to get the upperhand, until Jason threw lightning at her. Reyna dodged the attack and barely ducked under Jason's sword.</p>
<p>Reyna swung at Jason, but he caught the attack. Reyna twisted the sword out of his hands. Jason tackled her and slammed her to the ground. Reyna tried to get up, but Jason pinned her. The daughter of Bellona tried to struggle, but Jason had a weight advantage over her.</p>
<p>“That was nice,” Jason said. Reyna nodded and looked into Jason's eyes. He smiled down at her but quickly looked away. “It was just like old times, Reyna. I miss this.”</p>
<p>“I do too,” Reyna began. Before she knew what was happening, Jason was kissing her. Reyna's eyes widened, and she shoved Jason away. The son of Jupiter fell backward and looked surprised. Reyna quickly got to her feet and backed away. “What was that!?”</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Jason began. He slowly stood and stared at Reyna. “I'm sorry, okay? I have no clue what took me over. I was just thinking about how the two of us used to be so great. We were amazing. And, I realize what I was missing when I went to Camp Half-Blood.”</p>
<p>“You're dating Piper, you idiot,” Reyna snapped. She shoved Jason backward. “What in Bellona's name is going on in your head? You can't just kiss me! I'm dating Arria.”</p>
<p>“Piper and I have been arguing a lot. We're having our own issues,” Jason began. Reyna shook her head. “Hey. It turns out that a relationship built on a crazy scheme from a goddess isn't really a relationship at all. Piper and I just don't have a spark anymore, ever since Drew talked to me about her.”</p>
<p>“That doesn't change the fact that I am dating Arria, okay? I am dating Arria. I am dating someone who cares about me and doesn't play with my emotions,” Reyna snapped. Jason glared at her. Reyna tried to speak. Instead, she punched Jason right in the face.</p>
<p>Reyna didn't allow Jason to fall to the ground. She slammed into him and drove him to the ground. She punched him two more times before slamming her fist into the ground next to his head. Reyna spoke, “What is your problem?”</p>
<p>“I don't know,” Jason began. He groaned and placed a hand on his bloody nose. His right eye was starting to swell. “I'm sorry. This haze just came over me while we were talking, and then, I just kissed you. Gods, I just kissed you. I think you gave me a black eye.”</p>
<p>“Good,” Reyna growled. She sighed and turned her head. A glint caught her eyes, and she slowly stood. Reyna walked towards the fallen dagger and knelt by it. She caught her reflection in the dagger, and her heart clenched. “Jason, was Piper paying a visit to Camp Jupiter today?”</p>
<p>“Why does it matter?” Jason questioned. He sat up and saw the dagger in Reyna's hand. “Oh no. Oh gods no. Piper couldn't have seen that.”</p>
<p>Well, Jason. Congratulations,” Reyna said. She stood and looked at Jason. “By kissing me, you have retained your title as Camp Jupiter's greatest idiot. You might also beat out Camp Half-Blood, and they have Leo and the Stoll brothers. How do you manage that?”</p>
<p>“This isn't all on me,” Jason snapped. Reyna stared at him. This was not her fault. She was not the idiot who decided to kiss her old crush. Maybe, she had punched him a little too hard and caused him to lose the little sense that he had left. “I told you that a haze came over me!”</p>
<p>“This is the kind of drama that I don't want to be involved in,” Reyna muttered tiredly. She rubbed her face with both of her hands and tried to take deep breaths. All she needed to do was calm down. “Why do all of the problems in my life have to involve Camp Half-Blood?”</p>
<p>Reyna didn't wait for Jason's response that she didn't even want to hear in the first place. She grabbed her sword from the ground and walked towards the city of New Rome. Reyna had no clue where Piper would go, unless she was going to see Frank and Hazel. Great. Even more people were going to be involved in their personal business. Why couldn't Jason just keep his stupid lips to himself?</p>
<p>Was Jason really going to blame a haze coming over him? That was the worst excuse that Jason could have ever thought of. In fact, it was one of the worst excuses that Reyna had ever heard. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Everything would work out. All she had to do was find Piper and explain to her that Jason was an absolute idiot.</p>
<p>Reyna's week couldn't get any worse. First, Nico and Annabeth had ruined what was suppose to be a nice dinner date and the beginning of an alliance. Instead, the two Greeks had ruined pretty much everything. Then, Jason had started all these problems by kissing her. This week, let alone day, couldn't get any worse.</p>
<p>“So,” Arria began. She appeared next to Reyna but didn't meet her eyes. It took a moment for Arria to look at Reyna. Arria's eyes then moved to Jason. “I overheard you say Jason kissed you. What exactly happened?”</p>
<p>“Jason kissed me. I don't have any feelings for him,” Reyna began. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jason frown. Reyna shot him a sharp look that quickly narrowed into a glare. “At all. He claims a haze came over him. Honestly, I'm still tempted to strangle him.”</p>
<p>“I'm right here,” Jason said. Arria stopped walking and looked at the two of them. Her arms crossed, and she looked away. Reyna frowned. They hadn't talked about the incident at the restaurant. Arria hadn't really talked to her at all. She had been busy doing things for Bellona or just avoiding Reyna.</p>
<p>“Arria, I would never,” Reyna began. Arria looked off to the side and shook her head. “Please listen to me.”</p>
<p>“I don't know if I can continue this,” Arria began. Reyna felt a dagger being stabbed into her heart, and she looked down. “Your friends don't trust me and have actively tried to spy on me. Jason Grace, the boy you used to have a crush on, just kissed you. How the hell are we suppose to have a proper relationship?”</p>
<p>“Jason kissed me without warning. I didn't kiss him back,” Reyna said quickly. Arria shook her head and started to walk away. “Wait. Wait. Arria wait! Please. You have to listen to me. My feelings are solely for you and no one else. Please.”</p>
<p>Reyna hated that she was begging. She hated that she had fallen so hard for Arria. Relationships were too complicated for Reyna, and she didn't want to deal with it anymore. Things just needed to be perfect and smooth, even though Reyna knew that would never happen. Arria sighed and spoke, “How are we suppose to have a relationship if I have to constantly worry about your friends? Nothing I do is good enough for them.”</p>
<p>Arria shook her head and turned away. Reyna clenched her jaw and followed Arria. She spoke, “It doesn't matter what they think of you, Arria. You're my girlfriend, and I, well, love you.”</p>
<p>Reyna stopped walking and stared ahead. Had those words just left her mouth? Arria stopped walking, and after a moment, she slowly turned. Reyna felt her mouth go dry, and she swallowed painfully.</p>
<p>“I can't make you choose between your friends and girlfriend,” Arria said quietly. Reyna tried to speak, but no words came. She looked at the ground and felt her heart starting to race. It felt like she was in a battle, but she was just talking to her girlfriend. What was happening to her? “That wouldn't be fair of me, Reyna.</p>
<p>“Who cares what they think?” Reyna asked. Arria gave her a look. Reyna sighed and looked back down. She was the one who cared. It was tearing Reyna apart that she couldn't get her friends to like her girlfriend. “Arria. Please. This is going to tear me apart.”</p>
<p>Arria sighed angrily and started to pace. Reyna looked down and saw that Jason was still watching them. She shot him a dangerous glare. This was all his fault. If Jason had just minded his own damn business and not tried to make her feel better, they wouldn't be in this position.</p>
<p>“I'm not comfortable with sharing my past,” Arria muttered. She sighed and crossed her arms. “Telling Annabeth and Nico about my mother was hard, and I didn't want to do it. It's not fair that I have to share that to make your friends trust me. There has to be some kind of compromise.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Reyna agreed. She looked down. Reyna rubbed her face and sighed tiredly. All of the anger and heartache was starting to leave her. The only thing she was starting to feel was empty. “I don't know what to do.”</p>
<p>They both heard a loud yelp. Reyna quickly turned around and saw that Hazel had Jason's ear trapped between her fingers. She was squeezing and even twisting Jason's ear. There was pure fury in Hazel's eyes. Frank stood behind his girlfriend and had both of his arms crossed. Jason tried to pull away from Hazel, but he wasn't having any luck.</p>
<p>“You kissed Reyna. What is wrong with you?” Hazel demanded. Jason tried to answer, but he ended up crying out in pain. “I don't want to hear any excuses. Why did you kiss Reyna? She's dating Arria. You're dating Piper.”</p>
<p>“You're going to tear his ear off,” Reyna muttered. Hazel stiffened and turned towards Reyna. It seemed like she realized that they had a crowd watching them. “And, he claims a haze came over him.”</p>
<p>“A haze is going to come over you real soon,” Hazel promised. She let go of Jason, and he quickly stood. Jason rubbed his ear and backed away. Hazel took a few steps towards him. “What is your problem?”</p>
<p>“There was a haze,” Jason began. Frank took a few steps forward and crossed his arms. “You guys have to believe me. I would never kiss Reyna, if I was thinking straight. No offense, Reyna. Anyway, this isn't my fault.”</p>
<p>“Wait,” Reyna muttered. She held a hand up. All she wanted to do was clench her fist and slam it directly into Jason's stupid face. Instead, she needed to stay calm. “A haze came over you, like charmspeak? You said there hasn't been a spark, since you talked to Drew.”</p>
<p>“Piper told me she's been having arguments with Drew. Would Drew do something to break up Piper's relationship?” Hazel questioned. Reyna raised an eyebrow and nodded. Frank nodded his agreement. Even Jason was nodding. “Well, I'm going to find Piper and talk to her about it. If you come near Jason, I will have your ear back in my fingers.”</p>
<p>Reyna glared at Jason. She wasn't quite sure just how badly she wanted to yell at him, but her fingers were still itching to be wrapped around his throat. A hand grabbed her shoulder and gripped it tightly. Arria spoke, “Come on.”</p>
<p>Reyna looked down at Arria's arm and then at Arria. She finally nodded slightly and allowed herself to be led away. Arria spoke, “Lots of people are watching you right now. If you punch in Jason's face, it isn't going to help you any.”</p>
<p>“Always the politician,” Reyna muttered. She sighed and glanced at Arria. “I'm sorry about my friends.”</p>
<p>“You can't exactly control them,” Arria commented. She looked down at the ground as they walked. “I'll talk to them though. I'm sorry about saying that I didn't think this would work.”</p>
<p>“Hey, we both suck at relationships,” Reyna said with a shrug. Arria smirked and nodded her agreement. “We'll suck at it together though. Do you want to get some takeout?”</p>
<p>“Depends. Do you still have the listening device that we found in my pocket?” Arria asked. Reyna nodded. It was in a small box on her nightstand. She was planning on flinging it at Leo the next time she saw him. What kind of idiot engraved their initials on a listening device? “Bring it. We'll brainstorm some ways to mess with your Greek friends.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0048"><h2>48. Mars' Rest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, this is where you hang out in your free time?” Reyna questioned. She slowly looked around the restaurant that they were in. There were only ten tables inside the small building, but each table was large enough to seat twelve people. No one sat at a table by themselves, other than Reyna and Arria.</p>
<p>“I'm in here a few times a week,” Arria commented. She leaned back in her seat and studied the box in front of her. Leo's listening device sat inside, and they had yet to figure out how exactly how they were going to mess with Reyna's friends. Part of Reyna still wanted to kick down Leo's door and then kick Leo's teeth down his throat. Arria had talked her out of it. “It's like home to me. This is probably the closest thing I have to family.”</p>
<p>“And, you wanted them to meet me?” Reyna questioned. Arria glanced at Reyna, and it almost seemed like she was blushing. “They're not going to threaten me like your sister did, are they?”</p>
<p>“No,” Arria said. Her eyes flickered away. “Nerva is complicated. We're sisters by our mortal mother's blood, but I don't think Nerva wants me either. She wasn't too happy to learn that I existed, and she pretty much shut the door on me.”</p>
<p>“She seems to care about you,” Reyna began. Arria stared at the table and didn't say a word. “You haven't talked about her, even though she almost died. I'm sure she cares about you, in her own way.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Arria muttered. Her shoulders seemed to deflate. Arria shook her head and looked at the menu. Reyna tried to think of what to say. She had a complicated relationship with her sister, but at the end of the day, she knew that Hylla loved her. Arria didn't seem to have that reassurance.</p>
<p>Reyna looked back down at the listening device. No inspiration had hit her. Reyna sighed and examined the box. She was sure that Leo was keeping an ear out for their conversations, even if he didn't mean to. Well, that was what the little green light on the side told her, and a child of Vulcan had confirmed it.</p>
<p>Two hands suddenly clapped onto their shoulders. Reyna jumped and turned her head. She stared at the large man standing over her. He stared back at her and seemed to study her. His only working eye was staring a hole into Reyna's soul. There was a deep gash in his other eye.</p>
<p>The man was about three times the size of Reyna, and if he clenched his fist, it would be almost as big as Reyna's head. The man leaned closer to Reyna, and his face suddenly broke out into a grin. He spoke, “You must be the Roman that we've heard so much about! You're the only thing Arria can talk about.”</p>
<p>“I talk about more than her,” Arria mumbled. The man laughed and let go of their shoulders. He wrapped Arria in a hug and pulled her out of her seat. “Alright, you can let go now. Reyna, this is Fabion.”</p>
<p>After a few moments, Fabion released his grip on Arria and grabbed onto Reyna's hand. He shook her hand and just about knocked her shoulder out of socket. Reyna was pulled into a tight hug a moment later. Fabion pulled away and spoke, “Everyone, this is Arria's girlfriend! I told you all she would find one.”</p>
<p>Reyna didn't know if she or Arria was blushing worse, especially since the entire restaurant rose into a cheer. Fabion laughed and looked down at them. He spoke, “Reyna, that's your name right? I'm Fabion. I own this restaurant.”</p>
<p>“It's nice,” Reyna began. She was still taken aback by all that had happened. Fabion laughed again and motioned for them to sit. He moved to the opposite end of the table. Since Reyna could see the front of him, she saw the tattoo that trailed down the side of his neck, followed by scars. The tattoo was that of an owl, surrounded by Greek writing. Arria had the same one on her forearm, but it was mostly covered up by other tattoos.</p>
<p>Fabion must have seen the way that Reyna's eyes moved from his tattoo to Arria's. He glanced at Arria and spoke, “We had the same master. I was his champion in the arena, until this one came along. Blessed by her Spartan ancestors. Cheating is what it was.”</p>
<p>“I remember when she knocked you flat on your ass,” a waitress commented. She stopped by the table and looked at them. “The whole crowd couldn't believe it. You looked so upset. How are you doing, Arria? Would you like the usual?”</p>
<p>“Please,” Arria replied. She glanced at Reyna and smiled slightly. Reyna smiled as well. This was a little outside of her comfort zone and seemed like it would be outside of Arria's. She had always seemed like a loner. “What would you like, Reyna?”</p>
<p>“I might need a little more time,” Reyna began. She glanced back down at the menu. Upon glancing up, she realized that everyone was staring at them, and as she looked at the stares, she could see various tattoos on everyone: slave marks.</p>
<p>Reyna lowered the menu and tried to think of how to phrase the question. Fabion smiled and spoke, “We are all escapees. I do my best to rescue or buy the freedom of all the slaves that I can. Then, I give them a fresh start and a job here. It's all thanks to Arria.”</p>
<p>“It's not,” Arria began. She was starting to blush again, but she also looked uncomfortable. Arria cleared her throat and looked up. “It's not all because of me. You're the one doing the good work here.”</p>
<p>“Hey, you gave me my freedom,” Fabion said. Arria looked down. “You threw that fight and let me win. I would still be under his rule, if not for you. Gods, I know what he did to you as punishment.”</p>
<p>Arria cleared her throat uncomfortably and stood. She spoke, “I'm going to use the restroom. I'll be back.”</p>
<p>Fabion opened his mouth, but the waitress grabbed onto his arm and gave him a look. Fabion sighed. Reyna watched Arria walk away. Her focus then moved back to the two in front of her. The waitress spoke, “I can recommend the house special for you. It will taste just like Puerto Rico.”</p>
<p>Reyna stared at the waitress, who smiled kindly at her. Fabion spoke, “We've done some research on you, praetor. We can't have Arria just dating some stranger. She's like a little sister to us.”</p>
<p>“Arria deserves the world,” the waitress said. She smiled and looked at Reyna. “But, you're a guest here today. We'll threaten you later. What can I get you to eat and drink?”</p>
<p>“Just some water. I'll also try the house special,” Reyna replied. She looked down at the table and then at Fabion. “What did you mean when you said that Arria gave you your freedom?”</p>
<p>Fabion leaned back in his seat and spoke, “Most gladiators fall in one of two categories. They were trained as a child for the arena, or they are just cannon fodder to make the fight bloody and quick. It's a good way to introduce your gladiators who will be there for a long time to come. They destroy a slave who has run out their purpose, and the crowd is happy since they get to see blood.”</p>
<p>“Arria was neither of those. As far as I know, she pulled off a successful escape attempt, but our master is smart. He always left us breadcrumbs about our family. Arria was given breadcrumbs about her mother, and after she escaped, she followed it. That led her right into Felika's, and also our master's, clutches,” Fabion continued. He looked down and shook his head.</p>
<p>“Arria's punishment was to fight in the arena. Our master assumed that she would get destroyed and learn her lesson, but Spartan blood does not rest easy. Arria maimed one of the mid tier gladiators and won the crowd in her favor,” the waitress said. She sighed sadly. “Arria then became one of the spectacles of the arena: the Specter of Sparta. Felika spent many months promoting a fight between the Specter of Sparta and Hound of Hades.”</p>
<p>“Our master told us that whoever won would have their freedom,” Fabion said. He looked at the ceiling and closed his eyes. “The fight would end when our master called the fight. I thought he was going to let us fight to the death, and Arria did as well. Halfway through the fight, she could have killed me. Instead, she threw the fight away by dropping her sword. It was an insult to the audience and her master.”</p>
<p>“I almost killed her,” Fabion said. He rested his head in his hands. “I just wanted to be with my family, and Arria knew that. Our master knew that. He ordered me to make her pay for disgracing the arena. I'm just surprised he had someone pull me off before I killed her.”</p>
<p>“It was Felika's magic,” the waitress whispered. She grabbed Fabion's arm. “That's the only reason you went as far as you did. All that matters is that Arria survived, and you found your family.”</p>
<p>“Isn't it dangerous to have former slaves all gathered in the same area?” Reyna questioned softly. She looked up at Fabion. “Wouldn't your old master want to hunt you down?”</p>
<p>“That man is many things, but he does keep his word,” Fabion replied. He sighed and shook his head. “Everyone who works here was bought from him. I give him three times the price that he would charge anyone else. He honors his deal and leaves everyone here alone.”</p>
<p>“But, Felika said they wanted Arria back,” Reyna began. Fabion looked at the table and closed his eyes. The waitress grabbed his arm again. “What makes her different?”</p>
<p>“I never bought Arria's freedom,” Fabion whispered. He took a deep breath and looked at Reyna. “When I first inquired with our old master, he wanted to charge an insane price. It was about the price of two or three slaves, depending on exactly who the slave was. Arria told me to save the money and not buy her freedom. I could save more lives that way.”</p>
<p>“Arria escaped a few months later. It was thanks to the queen of the Amazons, if rumors are true,” the waitress explained. Reyna stared at the two in front of her. Hylla had helped Arria escape? Why hadn't anyone told Reyna that? She remembered Hylla mentioned risking her life to save Arria. What that what Hylla was referencing?</p>
<p>Reyna looked down at the table. Her eyes moved to the restroom. Reyna stood and walked towards the restroom. She stepped inside and saw that Arria was sitting against the wall. Her eyes were staring at the ground. Reyna sat by her.</p>
<p>“Hey,” Reyna began. She looked at Arria. It took a moment for her girlfriend to look at her. “You okay?”</p>
<p>“No,” Arria answered. She leaned against Reyna. “Fabion talks like I'm some hero. I'm not. I did terrible things in the arena. I still do terrible things, for Rome. I killed my mother, Reyna. How can a monster like me be a hero? I don't deserve peace.”</p>
<p>“I killed my father,” Reyna whispered. Arria slowly looked at her. Reyna met her girlfriend's eyes. “He was a mania. He attacked Hylla, and I thought she was dead. I reacted. There are still nights when I wake up from a nightmare remembering what happened. There are still many times when I think that same thing, but you're not a monster, Arria. Your mother is. Who sells their child into slavery?”</p>
<p>“I won't tell anyone,” Arria began. Reyna nodded and slowly stood. She held a hand out. Arria took it, and Reyna pulled her girlfriend to her feet. “Gods, I didn't know Reyna.”</p>
<p>“Only a few people do,” Reyna said. She looked at Arria and was suddenly pulled into a tight hug. Arria rested her face against Reyna's shoulder. Reyna hugged her girlfriend tightly. “The things that we do in the past shape us, but they don't define us.”</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Arria whispered. She pulled away and gently kissed Reyna's cheek. Reyna smiled and led her girlfriend out of the bathroom. The two silently walked back to the table. Fabion was standing at the front door but eyeing both of them. Reyna gave him a small nod.</p>
<p>As Reyna made it back to the table, she stared at the box that held the listening device. She had forgotten about it. Reyna just hoped that Leo hadn't heard the conversation, but if he had heard it, there was a good chance he had gotten bored and stopped paying attention.</p>
<p>Arria motioned for Fabion to walk over. She opened the box and pulled the listening device close to her. Arria spoke, “You're still an ordained minister, right Fabion? Reyna's friends gave us an idea the other day.”</p>
<p>“I am. Are you two looking to get married?” Fabion questioned. Reyna leaned back in her seat and smirked. She knew that would get Leo's attention. Arria whispered in Fabion's ear. “I see. In that case, we'll need a few witnesses. Reyna, do you have any friends who would want to be your witness?”</p>
<p>“I'm sure Nico would,” Reyna said. She grabbed the listening device and picked it up. “Isn't that right, Leo? I know you're listening to this. Why don't you tell Nico I need a witness to get married at Mars' Rest. It's a nice little restaurant close to Camp Jupiter. Near where Nico and I like to get ice cream. Got it?”</p>
<p>Reyna wasn't even able to start a mental countdown. The temperature immediately dropped, and Nico stumbled out of the shadows. He raised a finger and took a deep breath. Reyna laughed and leaned back in her seat. Arria gave Nico a small wave.</p>
<p>Nico seemed to realize that he had an audience. He slowly looked around and spoke, “This isn't an actual wedding, is it?”</p>
<p>“Not at all. Nice job landing in the restaurant,” Reyna replied. She made a motion to the chair next to her. After a moment, Nico sat by her. Arria studied him with a small smirk. “I didn't think you would be right there listening to everything.”</p>
<p>“We weren't trying to listen in. We were trying to turn figure how out to turn it off,” Nico began. He placed a hand to his heart and looked a little stressed out. After a moment, he looked up at Arria. “I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I know how it is to feel like you're unwanted.”</p>
<p>“All is forgiven,” Arria said. Her eyes moved down to the box and then the listening device. “How long were you trying to turn it off for? We were thinking Leo would be near it and would alert you when he heard us talking about getting married.”</p>
<p>Nico looked down and didn't respond. Arria nodded slightly and looked at the table. Nico spoke, “Just Annabeth and I heard. We won't tell anyone. I swear.”</p>
<p>Arria nodded. Reyna watched the waitress walk towards them and set their food down. She grabbed a spare fork and shoved it into Nico's hands. Reyna spoke, “You're going to eat and tell me about your week. I'm still pissed at you, but you'll make it up to me in sparring.”</p>
<p>“It's been terrible,” Nico admitted. “Piper and Drew have been fighting again, and it's messing with all of the relationships in the camp. Will and I got into a fight, and now, everyone thinks I'm moping. I don't mope.”</p>
<p>“You just brood,” Arria commented. Nico rolled his eyes but smiled slightly. “Is this why Jason kissed Reyna?”</p>
<p>Nico choked on his food and started coughing. Reyna rubbed his back and shot Arria a look. Her girlfriend only smirked and focused back on her food. After a few moments of coughing, Nico seemed to get himself under control. He stared up at Reyna.</p>
<p>“Jason kissed me and blamed it on a haze coming over him,” Reyna explained. “The leading guess is that Drew used charmspeak |to convince him that his relationship with Piper wasn't all suns and roses. Piper saw us kiss, and as far as I know, she left to go back to Camp Half-Blood with Hazel.”</p>
<p>“Piper's not mad at you, is she?” Nico questioned. Reyna shrugged. She wasn't quite sure how to approach Piper with what had happened. In fact, she really didn't want anything to do with Camp Half-Blood. She was still extremely upset with how they had acted.</p>
<p>“I am sorry,” Nico said quietly. It was like he could read her mind. Reyna sighed and focused on the food. “I know how I treated Arria was wrong. I'm going to work on it. Annabeth is as well.”</p>
<p>“I just need time, Nico. That's all I need,” Reyna muttered. She glanced up and saw that Arria was talking to the waitress. Arria seemed to be blushing again and wasn't focused on them. “I'm scared to ruin this relationship. After what Venus said, I feel like this is my last chance.”</p>
<p>“Reyna, you have your whole life ahead of you,” Nico said. Reyna glanced back at him. “I know that most demigods die young, but let's be real here. You're going to at least make it to your twenties and then probably go out in a blaze of glory. You have plenty of time with Arria or whoever else you may end up with.”</p>
<p>“You need to stop being so smart. You're making me look bad,” Reyna commented. She sighed and took a deep breath. Reyna glanced at Arria. Whatever the waitress was saying had brought a blush to Arria's face, but there was also a genuine smile. “I haven't seen Arria this happy before.”</p>
<p>“Hanging out with Romans can get pretty tedious,” Nico said. Reyna elbowed him hard and gave him a look. He returned it with a smirk. Reyna looked back at Arria. “She's comfortable here.”</p>
<p>Reyna nodded slightly. She sighed and glanced down at her watch. Reyna spoke, “I have a few hours of free time today. I'll head back to Camp Half-Blood with you, and we'll solve this whole Venus cabin crisis.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0049"><h2>49. Soulmates</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Didn't you just eat food?” Nico questioned. Reyna glanced at him and rolled her eyes. She then focused back on the cake in front of her. If Nico knew that Sally's cooking would have been the thing to bribe Reyna into forgiving him, he would have brought it over a week ago.</p>
<p>“Didn't you just promise to mind your own business?” Reyna asked. She shoved another piece of cake in her mouth and collapsed onto Nico's bed. Words came out of her mouth, but they were obscured by cake. Nico gave her a look, and Reyna rolled her eyes.</p>
<p>Nico sat by Reyna and stared at the ground. Truthfully, his fight with Will was bothering him. They hadn't fought before. Sure, there were a few disagreements here or there, but there was never a fight. There were never raised voices or doors slamming shut. Nico sighed and placed his head in his hands.</p>
<p>“What's going on between you and Will?” Reyna questioned. Nico slowly looked at her. He finally laid back on the bed next to her. Reyna offered him a full slice of cake. Nico had no clue where the slice came from, considering his best friend had already shoved half of the cake into her mouth. Nico finally sighed and took the slice of cake. He would be a fool to pass up on free cake.</p>
<p>“We got into a fight about shadow traveling. He was upset that I've been doing it a lot, but I've been monitoring myself. You share your strength, and it hasn't been affecting me as much. He wouldn't listen to a word I said and just got madder and madder,” Nico explained. He focused on eating his slice of cake.</p>
<p>“Is that the only problem?” Reyna questioned. Nico shrugged. He hadn't spoken to Will since the fight. Will was completely avoiding him, and it bothered Nico. This wasn't something that he was used to. Will always made time for him, always.</p>
<p>“I guess,” Nico said. He placed both hands to his face. “I don't know why Will won't even talk to me now. Does it go further than the Aphrodite cabin being at odds with each other? Did I do something to upset Will?”</p>
<p>“Is Will upset about anything else?” Reyna asked. Nico glanced at her and frowned. “You know how it is, Nico. We keep things inside and never let them out. Those things build up and cause us to snap at the smallest thing. Maybe, Will is upset about your use of shadow travel, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.”</p>
<p>“How do I find the rest of this iceberg?” Nico asked. Reyna laughed and laid her head back. She finally sat up and pulled Nico off of the bed. “I have to go talk to him, don't I?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Reyna said. Nico sighed and walked out of his cabin. His best friends trailed behind him. As Nico walked towards the Apollo cabin, he debated on how to talk to Will. It would just be easiest to ask Will what was wrong, but for some reason, it seemed like those words would be hard to get out.</p>
<p>Nico sighed and looked down. Relationships were complicated. As Nico stepped into the Apollo cabin, he found that no one was inside. He let out another sigh. Of course. He should have known that Will wouldn't be where Nico was looking.</p>
<p>“I guess I'll head back to my cabin,” Nico muttered. He sighed and turned back towards Reyna. His best friend gave him a look. Nico just shook his head. After a moment, he found himself being lifted off of the ground and thrown over Reyna's shoulder. “Wait. What are you doing?”</p>
<p>“Just walking,” Reyna commented. Nico tried to twist and turned, but Reyna had an iron grip. “Look, I can see that you don't want to face your problems head on. If you keep ignoring these issues with Will, it's just going to grow and grow.”</p>
<p>“Will and I don't argue though. This is new territory, Reyna. I'm scared,” Nico admitted. Reyna stopped walking. After a moment, she placed Nico back onto his feet. Nico slowly looked up at her. “I'm not good at relationships. I don't know how to handle an argument. Couples shouldn't fight.”</p>
<p>“Arria and I have fought before, and we talked it out. It sucks, Nico. You might have to admit you're wrong, and you have to take other people's feelings into account. If you don't fight, you're just ignoring the problem,” Reyna said. Nico looked down. “Hey, it's okay. Come on.”</p>
<p>Reyna started to walk away. After a moment, Nico followed behind her. He stared at the ground. The last thing that he wanted was to sit down and talk with Will. It was easy for Nico to talk with Will about anything, but for some reason, he didn't think that they could talk about their problems.</p>
<p>Will didn't seem to ever have any problems. He was pretty chill about everything. Sure, there were a few times when he lectured patients about getting out of bed, but that was just Will doing his job. When he wasn't doing his job, he was completely calm and relaxed.</p>
<p>“What if he decides I'm not worth the effort?” Nico asked. Reyna stopped walking and stared at him. Nico looked down at his feet. “I've been having a few nightmares, Reyna, and I remember why Bianca left me to join the Hunters of Artemis. She spent all this time caring for me and watching over me, but I wasn't worth the effort.”</p>
<p>“No. Nico, no. That's not right,” Reyna said quickly. She grabbed Nico's shoulders tightly. Nico slowly looked up at his best friend. “It's just Felika's mist messing with your head. Gods, I should have warned you. I thought you were spared from the nightmares.”</p>
<p>“It's the truth,” Nico said. Reyna shook her head. It looked like she wanted to speak, but she seemed to be struggling with her words. “I'm not worth the effort, Reyna. Will deserves someone who will bring him happiness. I only bring death. I brought death to my sister. I almost brought death to my friends. Sooner or later, I'm going to bring death to Will.”</p>
<p>“Nico, you don't bring death to anyone. Death is just a part of our lives,” Reyna said. She closed her eyes. “I know you still blame yourself for Bianca's death, but it's not your fault, Nico. Why can't you understand that?”</p>
<p>“She wouldn't have gone to the Hunters of Artemis,” Nico began. Reyna held up her hand and sighed tiredly. Nico looked down. Great. He was annoying his best friend. This was why he shouldn't talk about his feelings.</p>
<p>“Nico, you are not the reason that she went to the Hunters of Artemis. It was not your fault that the two of you were alone. It's not your fault that your father pulled you away from where you were safe,” Reyna said. “And, I know that words alone aren't going to convince you. I don't know how to get it through your thick head that you need to stop blaming yourself.”</p>
<p>Nico hugged Reyna and buried his face in her chest. She hugged him back tightly. Nico knew that he needed to stop blaming himself, but how could he? The nightmares blamed him, and they were right. Momus blamed Nico, and he was right.</p>
<p>“It's so hard not to,” Nico whispered. He slowly pulled away from Reyna and looked up at her. Nico looked around to make sure that no one was watching. “Do you still blame yourself for what happened to your father?”</p>
<p>“On my bad days,” Reyna admitted. She sighed sadly. “But, I know it's not my fault. I was reacting to my father and protecting my sister. Bianca was reacting and protecting her friends. She saved lives on that day, Nico. I asked Percy about it, and he told me that she sacrificed herself to save them. How many more lives did she save by sparing them?”</p>
<p>“The world,” Nico whispered. Reyna nodded her agreement and gently squeezed Nico's shoulder. “I just don't know how to get past this. How do I stop blaming myself?”</p>
<p>“That's something that you have to find out for yourself, Nico. It's one of the hardest things to do,” Reyna said. “The day I stopped blaming myself was the day that Hylla and I got into a huge argument. She threw a chair, and it kind of brought me back. I realized that Hylla and I would have been dead if I didn't follow my instincts. Bianca followed hers, and unfortunately, it didn't end the best for her.”</p>
<p>“But, she lived her life how she wanted to and did what she thought was best,” Nico said. He looked down. It was probably true that Nico partially influenced Bianca's decision to join the Hunters of Artemis, but at the same time, it wasn't all because of him. Nico took a deep breath. “I guess you're right.”</p>
<p>“It's not all my fault,” Nico continued. He took another deep breath. “I'm sure the Hunters of Artemis made joining them sound fun, and it's not fair that my father put the weight of watching me on my sister's back. He shouldn't have brought us back just for the prophecy. She shouldn't have gone on the quest in the first place. It's not all my fault.”</p>
<p>“If it makes you feel better, we can spend the rest of the night badmouthing the Hunters of Artemis,” Reyna said. Nico managed a real smile. “Or, you can talk to Will.”</p>
<p>“I hate when you're right,” Nico muttered. He started to walk towards their infirmary. Reyna followed behind, but she did so at a respectful distance. Nico made it to the infirmary and stopped outside the door. He glanced at Reyna. “While I'm doing this, you should talk to Piper.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Reyna said. She nodded to Nico. He returned the nod and knocked on the door. Nico stepped inside the infirmary and looked around. His attention moved to the demigod that was in a bed closest to the door. They were staring at an arrow that had been shot through their hand.</p>
<p>“This is kind of hilarious,” the demigod commented. She looked at Nico and waved with her injured hand. A hiss of pain escaped her a moment later, and she gripped her hand. Nico didn't recognize the demigod, but from the blonde hair and gray eyes, it had to be a daughter of Athena. “Corbin, how's the knee doing?”</p>
<p>“You are such a jerk,” another demigod, Corbin, said. He was laying in bed and had both hands to his knee. An arrow was sticking out of it. “Whenever I see your aunt next, I'm telling her that you're banned from video games.”</p>
<p>Nico shook his head and looked at the far corner of the room. Will was standing at a table and seemed to be gathering supplies. Nico walked towards his boyfriend and tried to think of what to say. After a moment, Will looked at him.</p>
<p>“I need to say focused on my patients. No time for personal talk,” Will said. He walked towards Corbin. Nico followed after his boyfriend. Will glanced back at him and frowned. “I'm serious, Nico.”</p>
<p>“I'm here to help,” Nico said. He gently grabbed onto Corbin's knee. After a moment, Will sighed and examined the arrow. He snapped off one of the ends and gently pulled the arrow out of Corbin's knee. Nico held onto Corbin's knee tightly, and once the arrow was removed, he poured nectar on the wound. Will examined the wound and nodded.</p>
<p>“Rest,” Will ordered. “You'll be out of here by tomorrow. No more blindfolded archery, and also, never listen to anything that Coach Hedge suggests. He's a great Satyr but a terrible teacher. He wanted us to play dodgeball with throwing knives.”</p>
<p>“He almost got it approved with Mr. D too,” Nico commented. Will smiled slightly, and the two walked towards the daughter of Athena. Nico helped remove the arrow and apply nectar to the wound. Will seemed to be eyeing the ambrosia, but he seemingly decided against it. He bandaged the much smaller wound and nodded.</p>
<p>“You can go,” Will said to the girl in front of him. She nodded and stood. Will watched her leave and finally sighed. “Who plays Marco Polo with arrows?”</p>
<p>“Coach Hedge, I assume,” Nico said. Will looked at him and nodded. They walked towards a corner of the infirmary and sat down. Nico looked at his boyfriend. There were bags underneath Will's eyes. “You haven't been getting sleep?”</p>
<p>“No,” Will admitted. He laid back on the bed. Nico looked down at him. “I've been having a lot of dreams. Nightmares really. About all of the people that I haven't been able to save. I could have done so much more. If I knew then what I know now, I could have saved them.”</p>
<p>“Will, you can't save everyone,” Nico began. Will shook his head. Nico placed a hand on his boyfriend's arm. “We all have to make mistakes, Will. We all have to suffer loss. That makes of more equipped to help out others in the future.”</p>
<p>“I am a child of Apollo. My only job is to save lives, and I can't even do that,” Will said. He brought both hands to his face. “People shouldn't die under my watch. I have all of these talents, but I'm just not good enough.”</p>
<p>Nico looked down and tried to think. Why was this bothering Will so much now? They had touched on the subject before, but they never really got into it. Nico looked at Will and spoke, “Who did you lose?”</p>
<p>“My best friend,” Will said softly. “It's been two years, and I still can't stop thinking about it. We just went into town to go to her favorite bakery, and we were attacked by a Cyclops. She was stabbed in the back with a sword, and I panicked.”</p>
<p>“I didn't kill the Cyclops as fast as I should have,” Will continued. His voice broke for a moment, and he let out a soft cry. Nico gently pulled Will into a hug. “I wasn't fast enough, and I removed the sword from her back. I tried to heal the wound, but I couldn't.”</p>
<p>“You did everything you could,” Nico whispered. He pulled away from Will and studied him quietly. Tears were still welling in Will's eyes. “You were only thirteen at the time, Will. Your powers weren't as strong as they are now.”</p>
<p>“I wasn't good enough,” Will whispered. He closed his eyes, and a few tears slipped out. Nico hugged his boyfriend tightly. “I swore to myself that I would never allow another demigod to die when I could have stopped it.”</p>
<p>Nico hugged his boyfriend and looked at the ground. He waited for something inspirational to come to his mind. All he needed was a few moments, and Nico would think of something that would make Will feel completely better. A full minute passed, but nothing came to Nico's mind.</p>
<p>Nico opened his eyes. He was a terrible boyfriend. Why couldn't he think of anything that would comfort Will? Nico hugged Will tighter and tried to think. Why was he drawing a blank?</p>
<p>“Thank you,” Will said. He pulled away and wiped his eyes. Nico smiled sadly. Will sniffled and cleared his throat. He stood. “I haven't told anyone about it, other than Chiron.”</p>
<p>“You've been letting it boil inside,” Nico said softly. Will nodded his agreement. Nico grabbed his boyfriend's hand. “Will, you saved so many lives during the battle of Olympus and with our skirmish with the Romans. You save so many lives every day. You can't save everyone though.”</p>
<p>“I can try,” Will whispered. Nico rested his head on Will's shoulder. “When I saw how badly you were injured by Momus, I almost lost it. Nico, I don't know what I would do without you. There's this old story about how humans use to have four arms and legs. They had two heads and were powerful.”</p>
<p>“Zeus feared their power and split them apart. They spent the rest of their lives looking for their other half,” Will said. He looked at Nico. “The stories always said it was male and female, but looking at you, I know I've found my other half: my soulmate.”</p>
<p>A small smile came to Nico's face. He spoke, “I've thought of that story a lot. It always scared me a little bit. Part of me thought that I would never find my other half, but I have. That's why I don't know why we're arguing, Will.”</p>
<p>“I was mad that you got hurt, and I took it out on you,” Will admitted. He looked down. “It wasn't your fault though, so I couldn't yell at you. It wasn't Reyna's fault, so I couldn't yell at her. I guess I just let it fester inside. I'm sorry.”</p>
<p>“It's okay. I forgive you,” Nico promised. He kissed Will gently. Will returned the kiss and smiled. The two laid back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Nico glanced at his boyfriend and smiled. Everything he said had been true. After spending so much of his life searching, Nico finally found his soulmate. He finally found a home.</p>
<p>There were still things in Nico's past that he couldn't let go of, but at the same time, he shouldn't let go of those things. They shaped him and made Nico the person that he was. Now, Nico had a future to look forward to, and he planned to make the most of it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0050"><h2>50. Chapter 50</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>All Nico wanted to do was enjoy his day. He wanted to lay in the grass and chill with his boyfriend. Thanks to the Stolls, all of the activities for the rest of the day had been canceled. The fires had mostly been put out, and no one died. Well, no one that Nico knew of.</p>
<p>Nico opened his eyes and glanced at Will. His boyfriend was staring at the sky and pointing out cloud shapes. So far, they had found clouds in the shape of, well, a cloud. It wasn't as exciting as Nico could have hoped for, but it was fun to hang out with his boyfriend and not be yelled at by any of the children of Ares.</p>
<p>Just as Nico thought he was going to enjoy his day, something heavy slammed into his chest. Nico wheezed for breath, and drool hit him in the face. Nico choked on the drool and quickly sat up. He gagged and stared at his hellhound. Hades the Hellhound simply licked Nico, soaking him completely.</p>
<p>“Thanks,” Nico muttered. He looked down at the item that had been dropped onto him. Nico stared at the sign that belonged to a park that was in California. It was the favored hangout spot of Hades the Hellhound, since that was where he went to play with Aurum and Argentum. “No.”</p>
<p>“A park?” Will questioned. He looked down at the sign and then Nico. “It could be fun.”</p>
<p>Between the puppy dog eyes of his hellhound and the interested eyes of Will, Nico knew that he was going to head to the park. He wasn't going to be the one doing all the heavy lifting during shadow travel though. That would be a job for the hellhound.</p>
<p>“I give,” Nico said. He placed a hand to his hellhound. Will did as well. “To the park. Don't make any detours though. We don't need to destroy any more ice cream carts.”</p>
<p>Just like that, the world around them dissolved in a blur. Nico closed his eyes for a few moments, and when he reopened them, they were at the park. Hades the Hellhound practically flopped against Nico and Will, knocking the two demigods over.</p>
<p>It took Nico a few moments to push himself out from underneath his hellhound. Will seemed to be struggling as well, but eventually, they made it free. Nico spoke, “You rest for a few minutes. I'll find you a treat and something to play fetch with.”</p>
<p>“Let's never do that again,” Will said. He shook his head and slowly stood. Will stumbled slightly. Nico smiled and looked up at his boyfriend. They have used shadow travel a few times but never with Hades the Hellhound. Nico had been training his hellhound on how to properly shadow travel. This went pretty well. They didn't land in front of a moving train or a thousand feet in the sky. Nico was proud of his hellhound.</p>
<p>Nico looked around the park. A few children were staring at them, but after quick talks from their mothers, they went back to playing. All the other mortals in the area were focused on their own activities. Besides the children, no one else seemed to notice or care that two demigods and a hellhound had appeared in the middle of the park. Nico felt Will nudge him and motion for him to turn around.</p>
<p>As Nico turned around, he stared and couldn't believe his luck. Aurum and Argentum were both sitting in front of their owner and waiting for her to throw a piece of metal. Aurum turned his head and met Nico's eyes. Nico placed a finger to his mouth. Hopefully, the metallic dogs wouldn't give them away. Then again, it didn't really matter. Reyna was pretty preoccupied with kissing Arria, and their hands were trailing a little too much for being out in public.</p>
<p>“Do you know how Arria is always scaring me?” Nico whispered. He wasn't going to focus on the fact that Arria was all over his best friend. Will glanced at him and nodded. “Watch this.”</p>
<p>Nico slowly walked up behind the two. He was careful to not step on any twigs or make any extra noise. Nico had been waiting a long time for this moment. It wasn't that he was upset about Arria sneaking up on him, but that was his thing. He was the one who was supposed to scare people, and if he could just get Arria to jump in surprise one time, it would be worth it.</p>
<p>Reyna pulled away from her girlfriend and smirked. She didn't seem to notice Nico, and her attention turned back to her dogs. Nico resisted the urge to take a deep breath. This was his moment. Nico reached out and grabbed Arria's shoulder.</p>
<p>Truthfully, Nico didn't know what happened next. He remembered grabbing onto Arria's shoulder. Then, he was on the ground with intense pain in his nose, and the tip of a spear resting against his throat. Nico blinked a few times and looked at Arria.</p>
<p>“I didn't mean to,” Arria began. She stepped away and stared down at Nico. Wheezing noises from behind them meant that Will was laughing. Reyna had a small smile on her face. “I'm sorry, Nico.”</p>
<p>“I think I set myself up for this,” Nico began. He sat up and felt blood trickle from his nose. Arria handed him a tissue, and Nico placed it to his nose. Will knelt next to him but was still laughing. Arria at least had the decency to look like she felt sorry.</p>
<p>Nico tilted his head back to stop the bleeding. A piece of ambrosia hit him right in the middle of the eyes. Nico looked up at his best friend. Reyna's small smile had turned into a smirk. Nico glared and ate a small piece of the ambrosia. The pain in his nose faded.</p>
<p>“I really am sorry,” Arria began. She didn't seem to find it as funny as the others did. “Please don't grab me from behind again.”</p>
<p>“I was just trying to scare you as you scare me. Guess you're not scared easily,” Nico said. He looked up at Arria. There was a small look of fear and remembrance in Arria's eyes. Reyna knelt next to her girlfriend and met her eyes. Then, she gently rubbed Arria's back.</p>
<p>Nico looked down. He was missing something, but he would respect Arria's wishes. Nico spoke, “If I had known that it would have freaked you out, I wouldn't have done it. I'm sorry.”</p>
<p>“It's okay,” Arria whispered. She stood and helped Nico to his feet. Arria's eyes moved towards Will, and she bowed her head towards him. “How are you doing today, Will?”</p>
<p>“Pretty good. It's been an entertaining morning,” Will responded. He gave Nico a pointed look and a smile. Nico rolled his eyes and looked up at Reyna. His best friend grabbed a shield from the ground and flung it towards the forest in the park. Her two dogs chased after it. Hades the Hellhound, somehow over his exhaustion, chased after them. “How did you two escape Camp Jupiter?”</p>
<p>“We have a few hours of free time. Someone has been trapped in her duties for the last couple of days. I'm surprised that she still has a voice with all of the yelling,” Arria teased. Reyna rolled her eyes but couldn't fight her smile. “What about you two?”</p>
<p>“Stolls were experimenting a little too much with fire, and they just about burned down the entire camp. Chiron gave us the day off,” Will answered. He ruffled Nico's hair. “I had to take the little one out and get him some sun.”</p>
<p>“We can't have them moping,” Arria commented. She gave Reyna a look. Reyna elbowed her girlfriend hard in the ribs and glared at her. Arria laughed and kissed Reyna. Before the two could start making out again, Will and Nico both cleared their throats.</p>
<p>“There are children in the park,” Will chided. Nico crossed his arms and nodded. Reyna rolled her eyes and looked back at the forest. She frowned. “Hey, you're not allowed to have fun in there either.”</p>
<p>“They should be back by now,” Reyna muttered. The frown didn't leave her face. Nico found himself frowning as well. Reyna's dogs could take of themselves, and they never seemed to get into any kind of trouble or danger. “I'm going to go find them. You three up for a double date?”</p>
<p>“That would be fun,” Will said. Nico nodded quickly. Out of the corner of his eye, he tried to gauge Arria's reaction, but she didn't give one. She nodded and placed both hands into her pocket. “We haven't eaten yet. Are you guys hungry?”</p>
<p>“I am,” Arria answered. She glanced at Reyna, who was already halfway to the forest. “Reyna's been surviving off of toast and jellybeans. It's time that she gets some actual food.”</p>
<p>“This one survives off of Happy Meals,” Will said. He pointed his thumb towards Nico. A small smirk came to Arria's face, and she watched Nico. There was something in Arria's eyes, but he couldn't tell if it was distrust or just general weariness.</p>
<p>Arria looked around and then closed her eyes. There seemed to bags under her eyes. Nico realized the look in her eyes wasn't anything negative towards him. It was just exhaustion. Arria shook her head and slowly looked around.</p>
<p>Nico smiled at her and started walking after Reyna. After a moment, he heard his boyfriend follow. Nico glanced back to see if Arria was following, and he almost jumped as she was right behind him. Arria smirked.</p>
<p>“I hate how you can do that,” Nico muttered. Arria fell into step beside him. Will walked on his other side. The three of them walked in comfortable silence. Arria didn't seem to be upset at Nico for the whole spying on her thing, or she just didn't show it. Will hummed softly.</p>
<p>There were no knocked over trees, so that meant that Hades the Hellhound wasn't tearing through the entire forest. Where could the dogs have gone, though? Nico looked ahead and saw that Reyna was standing behind a tree and peering into a clearing. Upon glancing back at them, she put a finger to her lips and motioned for them to hurry over.</p>
<p>Nico hurried towards his best friend's side. He hid behind a tree and glanced out into the clearing. It took him a moment to find what Reyna was staring at, but when he saw it, his heart almost stopped. Nico looked at Reyna. They needed to get out of there.</p>
<p>“It's a Girl Scout,” Will began. He looked back at them and frowned. “She looks lost. We should help her.”</p>
<p>“No,” Reyna said quickly. She looked at Nico and then back at Will. “We can just walk away and let someone else deal with the little monster. I'm not doing it.”</p>
<p>“Same. I'm going to get lunch,” Nico said. He turned away, and his best friend followed. Will grabbed both of their shoulders. He stared at them. Arria watched them and looked amused.</p>
<p>“What are you two doing? A little girl is lost,” Will hissed. Reyna and Nico exchanged glances. Nico met his best friend's eyes, and he could feel the threat in them. If Nico said anything about Albania, he would lose his tongue.</p>
<p>“Could be a monster,” Arria whispered. She studied the girl. “But, I don't think so. Aurum and Argentum would have warned us about it. I think it might just be a lost little girl.”</p>
<p>“Then, you two can help her. I'm not doing it,” Reyna said. She stepped away from the two of them and held up her hands. “I am walking away.”</p>
<p>Will watched the two of them. Nico turned to walk away. A hand suddenly grabbed onto his jacket and threw him into the clearing. Nico tried to catch his balance but hit a tree root and fell backward. Nico hit the ground and heard a branch snap. The little girl turned towards him.</p>
<p>“Can you help me find my mommy?” the little girl asked. She started to walk towards Nico, but as Will stepped out from behind the tree, the little girl flinched and began to back away. “I just wanted to find my mommy. Please.”</p>
<p>Nico glared up at Will and almost imagined himself strangling his boyfriend. It wasn't that he distrusted all Girls Scouts, but the last ones that he had run into had tried to eat him and his best friend. It was not something that Nico wanted to repeat.</p>
<p>Granted, the girl in front of him didn't give off any monster vibes. She had a few scratches on her arms and face. Parts of her uniform had dirt on it or was torn slightly. The girl nervously played with the pigtails that her hair was in. Her blue eyes shot around nervously.</p>
<p>From behind them, Nico heard the sounds of rapid talking. He turned around and watched Reyna argue with Arria. Somehow, Reyna ended up being led into the clearing by Arria, even though they were still arguing.</p>
<p>“I just want to find my mommy,” the girl whimpered. Nico took a deep breath. Things would be okay. What were the odds that this one would be another cannibal? He finally walked towards the little girl and knelt in front of her.</p>
<p>“How did you get separated from your mom?” Nico asked. The Girl Scout looked up at him and then looked down again. Nico watched the little girl. After a moment, Reyna knelt by them.</p>
<p>“We'll get you back safely, okay. Where was your mom when you saw her last?” Reyna questioned. The little girl looked up and slowly moved closer to Reyna. It looked like it was taking all of Reyna's willpower to keep from moving away or punting the child.</p>
<p>“We were working on bird calls near the edge of the forest, and she told me that she would be right back. I thought I saw a dog and followed it here,” the Girl Scout mumbled. Nico shot Reyna a look. Of course, this would be her fault. “It was really large and reminded me of Clifford the Big Red Dog.”</p>
<p>Reyna returned the look to Nico. She stood and spoke, “I think you were just seeing things. Big dogs and their stupid owners don't exist.”</p>
<p>“Ignore my two friends,” Will said. He knelt by the three of them. “We can walk you back to the edge of the forest and then back to your mom. You'll just have to point out your mom.”</p>
<p>The little girl nodded. Will stood, and Nico slowly did as well. If the Girl Scout was going to eat their faces off, she probably would have done it when they first knelt by her. The little girl looked at all of them and then moved extremely close to Arria.</p>
<p>Arria shot the rest of them a look that asked for help. She moved away from the Girl Scout, which only prompted the little girl to move closer. Reyna said something in Latin. From the way that Arria glared, it was probably mockingly repeating something that Arria had said.</p>
<p>Maybe, this wouldn't so be bad after all. The Girl Scout was pretty far away from him and Reyna. She also hadn't tried to eat their faces off, yet. Nico sighed and looked down. He really needed to get over his hatred of Girl Scouts. They weren't all actual monsters who were planning on eating him.</p>
<p>The walk through the forest was pretty much in silence. Will was keeping a close eye on the Girl Scout, and the little girl kept moving close to Arria. Reyna and Nico were keeping a very nice distance between them and the little girl that might or might not be a monster.</p>
<p>Nico sighed. The Girl Scout wasn't evil. He just needed to relax. Not everything in the world was out to kill him. Nico closed his eyes and felt something brush his hand. Nico opened his eyes and looked at the little girl, who was holding his hand tightly.</p>
<p>Nico glanced at Reyna and gave her a look. Reyna rolled her eyes, but when the Girl Scout offered her other hand, the praetor took it. The Girl Scout stayed in between them and seemed pretty happy.</p>
<p>As they walked out of the forest, the first thing that Nico saw was three police officers. That was good. Soon, the Girl Scout would be with the proper authorities that could reunite her with her mother. Then, the demigods would be able to go on their double date. The Girl Scout suddenly pulled herself from them and screamed, “Help! I'm being kidnapped!”</p>
<p>From there, all Nico could do was stare. The little girl dramatically threw herself away from him and Reyna and tumbled to the ground. The three police officers all pulled their guns and pointed them at the demigods. Nico looked at the girl, who scooted backward from them. She looked terrified.</p>
<p>“I hate Girl Scouts,” Nico stated. Reyna nodded her agreement. Arria was staring at the sky as if she hated her life, and Nico could resonate with that. Will was staring at them and looked completely confused.</p>
<p>“Put your hands up in the air and get on your knees!” the first officer yelled. Nico tried to speak, but the gun moved to point at him a little more than the others. Nico put his arms above his head. He slowly got to his knees and looked at the Girl Scout. The third police officer was kneeling by the Girl Scout and trying to stop the blood flowing from her face and arms. Wait.</p>
<p>Nico blinked a few times. There had been a few scratches on the Girl Scout before, but now, it looked like the little girl had jumped through a couple of windows. The Girl Scout hugged the officer tightly and started to cry. The officer picked the girl up and hurried towards their car. As the little girl looked up at them, she stuck her tongue out.</p>
<p>“What the hell?” Arria muttered. She slowly looked at them. Reyna glanced up at the sky and shook her head. Nico looked down at the ground. “What is going on?”</p>
<p>“This happens often with you guys?” Will whispered. Nico and Reyna both nodded. This was pretty much their life. The Fates, for whatever reason, hated them, and they decided that Girl Scouts would forever haunt the duo.</p>
<p>Nico looked at the ground as one of the officers handcuffed his hands behind his back. The second officer kept his gun trained on all four of them. Nico glanced at his friends. Reyna seemed like she was debating making a break for it. Arria still seemed to be confused. Will almost looked scared.</p>
<p>“My mom is going to kill me,” Will whispered. He looked at them. “I am getting arrested. She is literally going to kill me. What am I going to do?”</p>
<p>“It won't be the first time that Sally busted us out of jail. Granted, she is in another state,” Reyna said. The officer walked towards them and grabbed Arria. He pulled Arria to her feet and then grabbed Will. The officer led the two demigods to one of the police cars.</p>
<p>“We could slip out of the handcuffs,” Nico muttered. He looked down, and Reyna nodded her agreement. Nico looked around and realized that there was a fourth officer who had a gun aimed at them. “I change my mind. Things look bad. We just have to wait and see what happens.”</p>
<p>“The Senate is going to kill me when they find out,” Reyna muttered. She sighed and looked down at the ground. Nico gently nudged her shoulder and gave her a small smile. Reyna glanced at him but didn't return it. She finally allowed herself to smile and shook her head. “I guess there is one bright side to all of this: the Girl Scout didn't try to eat us.”</p>
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